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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 Taylor Fritz in the US Open last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Rather, Fowler brought up the ongoing absence of American men at the majors: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all love a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to defeat a fatigued Serbian in the next round). He said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually liked his path, because it presented the chance to beat the top three players in the world back-to-back. He is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, twenty-eight, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the coming years. But evidently that at present, that is as high as he can climb: The Italian and Spaniard sit a vast gap of performance metrics away. His top-class serve and concussive strength on each front side and reverse side are more than adequate to defeat most rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is often overmatched. The last several years has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and grace of much shorter players. He is six-foot-five and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has achieved a number of dramatic, improbable advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a declining Serbian, is the highest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing slump of American men winning major titles when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s performance in that very quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had survived a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of opportunities to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest twice on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The match was quite compelling proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, 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 yet to done anything that suggested he would.

The American is an asset to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in media sessions, exceeding almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he felt determined a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

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

Swedish icon Division

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

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he does not achieve that objective, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact extremely improbable for all other players. {