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I have a few opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment was understandable. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of American men at the majors: not one of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a storyline, me too. But come on. Even if Fritz defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (and the Spaniard proceeded to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually liked his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. He is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an athlete is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match what other person in their right mind had the lack 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 number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his previous six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might claim that position for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than enough to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth mentioning the continuing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task too little.

The American star made a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, extending the streak to the point of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down set points in the last game, his first serve floated to heaven. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad evidence that the American is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his athletic abilities now, but has developed enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than virtually anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say how he feels or the tactic he felt decided a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is competing alongside him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {