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I have some thoughts regarding the comments made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer after Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, Fowler is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment was appropriate. Rather, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

We all enjoy a narrative, me too. But really. Suppose the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best players in the world back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aim for the accomplishment; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the global rankings starting this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he could claim that position for himself in the future. 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 top-class delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat most rivals on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the opponent was controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh restriction on his potential.

The American has achieved a number of significant, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged up to fourth place – and held the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and defeating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four rounds, a win that only seemed tenuous for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, prolonging 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; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use far too much energy to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match two times on his backup delivery, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a consequence of needing to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was quite ironclad evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, who lost to the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he thought he could win. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers now, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that indicated he could.

The American is an asset to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, reflective voice in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the strategy he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unjust. (Since Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I fail to do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {