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I have a few thoughts regarding that comments delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over the American player in the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, Fowler is from the US – and athletic competitions often encourage patriotic sentiment. Some disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone love a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who he has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport in succession. Fritz is more than within his right to aim for the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person sensibly had the drought of US winners in mind?

The American star's second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is placed fourth in the global rankings entering the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. 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 lie a vast gap of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful power on both forehand and backhand are more than enough to dispose of the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, he is often overmatched. The past few years has witnessed the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and grace of smaller players. He is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the other player was dictating, and hitting a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh restriction on his upside.

The American has made a number of significant, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and held the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and including a declining Djokovic, 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 worth mentioning the continuing drought 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 respect for the magnitude of the task too little.

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

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been sufficient of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four sets, a victory that only seemed tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to hold for 5-5. The pair appeared evenly matched during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous chances to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of frustration. When he eventually did convert a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; Djokovic had lulled him into a skirmish peripheral to the main contest and compelled him to use excessive energy to win it. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to heaven. He extended the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a collapse, in my opinion, just a result of needing 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 Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he believed he could triumph. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, willing to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not produce a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, 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

Bjorn Borg Group

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I don’t accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable empire is in fact highly improbable for all other players. {