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I have a few thoughts regarding the comments delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Rather, Fowler invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the chance to beat the top three competitors in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few generational talents, however, Fritz is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and held the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued break point after break point, extending the run to the brink of agony. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much effort to win it. Facing match points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has acquired enough experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American informed a journalist in the summer of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for everybody else. {