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I have some opinions about the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports often lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

Everyone love a narrative, me too. But come on. Suppose the American defeated the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually liked his draw, because it presented the chance to beat the three best players in the sport in succession. Fritz is well within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive strength on each forehand and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nevertheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian won in four sets, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much effort to win it. Down set points in the last game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t do it,” the American informed a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t achieve that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {