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I possess some thoughts about that remarks delivered by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – the athlete represents the United States, Fowler is American – and sports often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of letdown would have been understandable. Rather, he brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

We all love a narrative, me too. But come on. Even if the American had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz said in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the top three competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic last eight match who else in their right mind had the lack of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few seasons has witnessed the interesting rise of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of smaller players. He is six-foot-five 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 dictating, and hitting a soft shot versus him is typically a reliable tactic. That serves as a pretty harsh limitation on his potential.

Fritz has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he suddenly exploded up to No 4 – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating legendary figures like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, 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 appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved break point after break point, prolonging the run to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly produced a terrible game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to expend excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and did not especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for quite a bit of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the ATP except for the Russian star, prepared to not just express his emotions or the strategy he felt determined a contest, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

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

“I’d probably dwell on it forever if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of winning a major. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually highly unlikely for all other players. {