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I have a few thoughts regarding that remarks made by the sports network broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open last eight. Look – the athlete represents the United States, the commentator is American – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. Some letdown would have been appropriate. Instead, he invoked the continued absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: 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 enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Suppose Fritz had beaten the legend for the first time, phenomenal talent Carlos Alcaraz was waiting in the next round, who Fritz has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And if he’d someway gotten past that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also divided the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a fatigued Serbian in the subsequent match). Fritz said in press after the loss that he actually preferred his draw, because it presented the opportunity to defeat the three best players in the sport back-to-back. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final who else in their right mind had the drought of American champions on the brain?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the only thing between her and sustained success

Fritz, 28, is ranked fourth in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his last six encounters over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. It's likely he could take that spot for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that at present, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite serve and concussive power on each front side and backhand are sufficiently enough to defeat the majority of rivals on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless cover the court with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter 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 controlling, and playing a soft shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That acts as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

The American has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected advancements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months later, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, Sinner, and even a aging Serbian, is the toughest of all. What was the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had exited the New York major in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

The American star achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that exact last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an indication. The Serbian triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American creating plenty of chances to break. But the champion saved break point after break point, prolonging the streak to the brink of agony. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately produced a terrible game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle secondary to the real battle and compelled him to expend far too much energy to prevail. Down match points in the final game, his primary delivery floated to the sky. He prolonged the match twice on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any form of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – Djokovic is the best player ever, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is the individuals who were expecting Fritz to win, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not done anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, thoughtful presence in press conferences, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only say how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but clarify it. That he should bear the brunt of the responsibility for the United States not spawn a male major champion since the last American titlist feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

American legend Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I fail to accomplish it,” the American told an interviewer in the summer of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he doesn’t achieve that goal, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable reign is in fact highly unlikely for all other players. {