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I have a few opinions regarding the remarks delivered by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the competition.

Everyone enjoy a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus Alcaraz went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of US winners on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing between her and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But evidently that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and concussive power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most rivals on the ATP tour. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The past few seasons has witnessed the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his potential.

Fritz has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was sniffing the elite ten. The previous season, he suddenly surged to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star achieved a career-best run to the All England Club last four in July.

Fritz’s play in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a win that only felt tenuous for brief periods towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not accomplished anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not 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 standings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Swedish icon Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” the American informed an interviewer in June of claiming a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {