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I possess some thoughts about the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the last 11 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 stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. He is well within his right to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are more than enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the handful of generational talents, however, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His movement is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had survived a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He extended the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite ironclad proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any form of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {