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I possess a few opinions regarding that remarks made by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over the American player in the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown was appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of US male players at the majors: none of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the final representative in the competition.

We all love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature the Spanish star was looming in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And if he’d somehow gotten past that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the previous seven major titles (plus the Spaniard proceeded to defeat a tired Serbian in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the opportunity to defeat the top three players in the world in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian last eight match who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

The American, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering this week’s year-end championships and has won his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position 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 vast gap of ranking points away. Fritz’s elite delivery and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few generational talents, though, he is frequently overmatched. The last several seasons has seen the interesting emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and grace of much shorter men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was controlling, and playing a drop shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. Early on of the decade, he was hovering around the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the ongoing slump of US male players winning major titles when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply excessive and the respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

Fritz’s play in that exact quarter-final should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When he eventually did claim a single of the chances at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly produced a horrendous game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the main contest and forced him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It wasn’t a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating the American to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost everyone on the ATP aside from the Russian star, willing to not just express his emotions or the strategy he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for America not produce a male major champion since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is competing alongside him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

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

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a grand slam. It is hoped he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not achieve that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {