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I have a few thoughts about that comments delivered by ESPN commentator a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz in the New York major last eight. Look – the athlete represents American, the commentator is from the US – and athletic competitions frequently encourage nationalism. Some disappointment was understandable. Rather, he invoked the continued drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them has won a title since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the last one standing in the competition.

We all enjoy a narrative, myself included. But really. Even if Fritz had beaten Djokovic for the first time, force of nature Carlos Alcaraz was looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an official match. 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 last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his draw, because it presented the chance to defeat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than justified to aspire to the accomplishment; an competitor is supposed to believe in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of US winners in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing standing in her way and sustained success

Fritz, twenty-eight, is ranked fourth in the global rankings starting the upcoming year-end championships and has won his last six matches over third-ranked Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that’s as high as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s elite serve and powerful strength on both forehand and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of generational talents, however, Fritz is frequently helpless. The last several seasons has seen the curious rise of lanky, towering players who can nevertheless cover the court with the surprising speed and fluidity of much shorter players. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His movement is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely steal a point that the opponent was dictating, and playing a drop shot against him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a quite severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a number of significant, unexpected advancements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. Two years after, he was approaching the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly exploded up to fourth place – and maintained the position. But the subsequent step, mixing it up with and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Serbian, is the highest of all. What could the commentator have been thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a serious threat to beat them all back-to-back? That it was worth commenting on the ongoing drought of American men lifting major titles when he had departed the New York major in the quarter-finals? The thirst is just too much and the respect for the magnitude of the task insufficient.

Taylor Fritz made a personal best run to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that very last eight match ought to have been sufficient of an sign. Djokovic won in four sets, a victory that only felt uncertain for brief periods towards the very end, when the American had saved a few match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared evenly matched during the rallies, with Fritz creating plenty of opportunities to break. But the champion rescued break point after break point, prolonging the run to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did convert one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to drop serve once more; the Serbian had lulled him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Down set points in the final game, his primary delivery sailed to heaven. He prolonged the match twice on his backup delivery, but ultimately double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, only a result of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The contest was fairly compelling proof that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of the Serbian, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the following match and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the height of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to compensate for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he would.

Fritz is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the men's tour aside from Daniil Medvedev, willing to not only say his emotions or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America failing to produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that Ben Shelton is rubbing shoulders with him in the rankings, perhaps they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• The Spanish phenom
• The American contender
• Alex de Minaur (Aus)
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it forever if I fail to accomplish it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. I hope he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying reign is in fact highly improbable for everybody else. {