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I possess some thoughts about that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a storyline, me too. But really. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him the American had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the opportunity to beat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic last eight match what other person sensibly had the drought of American champions on the brain?

The American star's weaker delivery the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and powerful strength on both forehand and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The last several years has seen the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his potential.

Fritz has made a several significant, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years later, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star made a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's performance in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the point of frustration. When he eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down set points in the last game, Fritz’s primary delivery sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a result of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to the Spaniard in the following match and never particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, prepared to not just say his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States failing to spawn a male major champion since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {