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I have a few thoughts regarding the remarks made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following the Serbian champion's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued absence of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated the legend for the initial occasion, force of nature the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom Fritz has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He said in post-match interviews following his defeat that he actually preferred his draw, because it offered the opportunity to beat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the lack of US winners in mind?

The American star's weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed fourth in the world starting this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that right now, that’s as high as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class delivery and powerful power on each forehand and reverse side are sufficiently enough to dispose of the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the interesting rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His movement is stiff, 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 soft shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several significant, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged up to No 4 – and maintained the spot. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the continuing slump of American men lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's play in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion saved break point after service break opportunity, prolonging the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz finally did convert a single of the chances at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the main contest and forced him to expend excessive effort to win it. Down match points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to beat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he thought he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough knowledge and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The problem is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express his emotions or the tactic he felt decided a match, but clarify it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Group

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” Fritz informed a journalist in June of winning a major. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {