🔗 Share this article

I possess some opinions regarding the remarks delivered by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's victory over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently encourage nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been appropriate. Instead, Fowler brought up the continued drought of US male players at grand slam tournaments: none of them has won a title since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing 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 Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And if he’d somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had lost 10 of the last 11 sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the previous seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in post-match interviews after the loss that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to defeat the top three competitors in the world in succession. He is well justified to aim for the achievement; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the lack of US winners on the brain?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is placed number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that right now, that is as high as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a chasm of ranking points away. His top-class delivery and concussive strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat most opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few years has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nevertheless move around with the surprising speed and fluidity 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 seldom steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot versus him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has made a number of significant, improbable advancements throughout his career. Early on of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the next leap, competing against and beating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and even a declining Serbian, is the toughest of all. What could Fowler have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate commenting on the continuing slump of US male players winning grand slams when he had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is simply too much and the respect for the difficulty of the challenge insufficient.

Taylor Fritz achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon semi-finals in July.

Fritz’s performance in that exact quarter-final should have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a win that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo looked well-balanced during the exchanges, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But Djokovic rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the run to the brink of frustration. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the second set, he promptly played a horrendous game to drop serve again; Djokovic had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He extended the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a collapse, I didn’t think, only a consequence of having to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly ironclad proof that Fritz is not good enough to defeat any version of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he believed he could win. This is perfectly fine – the Serbian is the best player ever, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired enough experience and tactical know-how to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were expecting the American to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was had not done anything that suggested he could.

The American is an asset to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, more so than almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, but explain it. That he should bear the brunt of the blame for the United States failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can share that burden.)

Year-End Championships: Player Divisions

American legend Group

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Group

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

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to do it,” Fritz told an interviewer in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is in fact extremely unlikely for everybody else. {