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I have a few opinions regarding that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's victory over Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some disappointment would have been understandable. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone love a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on both forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The last several years has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months after, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of American men winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s performance in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion rescued break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite ironclad proof that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only say his emotions or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Now that Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {