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I have a few thoughts about that remarks made by the sports network commentator Chris Fowler after Novak Djokovic's win over the American player during the US Open quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, the commentator is from the US – and sports frequently lend themselves to patriotic sentiment. A little bit of letdown would have been appropriate. Rather, he invoked the ongoing absence of American men at grand slam tournaments: none of them had lifted a trophy since Andy Roddick in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the competition.

We all enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Even if the American defeated Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was looming in the following match, who Fritz has never defeated in an official match. And had he someway survived that, it would have been defending champion the Italian, versus him Fritz had lost 10 of the previous eleven sets. Alcaraz and Sinner had also split the last seven grand slams (plus the Spaniard went on to defeat a tired Djokovic in the next round). Fritz said in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it presented the chance to beat the three best competitors in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is more than within his right to aspire to the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to have faith in themselves. But entering that Djokovic quarter-final who else sensibly had the drought of American champions in mind?

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

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world starting the upcoming year-end championships and has secured his previous six matches over third-ranked the German with increasing ease. Presumably he might take that spot for himself in the future. But evidently that at present, that is as far as he can rise: The Italian and Spaniard lie a chasm of ranking points away. Fritz’s top-class serve and concussive power on each forehand and backhand are sufficiently adequate to dispose of most opponents on the ATP tour. Against the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, though, Fritz is often helpless. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of tall, gangly players who can nonetheless move around with the alarming quickness and fluidity of much shorter men. Fritz is six-foot-five and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his limbs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty severe limitation on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, improbable advancements over the years. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was hovering around the bottom of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was approaching the top 10. The previous season, he suddenly surged up to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, Sinner, and including a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What was 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 desperation is simply too much and the appreciation for the difficulty of the task insufficient.

The American star achieved a career-best advancement to the Wimbledon last four in July.

The American's play in that very quarter-final should have been enough of an indication. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a win that only felt uncertain for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to maintain serve for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to win the opponent's serve. But Djokovic saved service break opportunity after service break opportunity, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When he finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had lulled him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and compelled him to use excessive energy to prevail. Down set points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He extended the contest twice on his second serve, but finally double-faulted. It wasn’t a choke, I didn’t think, just a result of having to hit too many second serves.

The match was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is not good enough to beat any form of Djokovic, that was defeated by Alcaraz in the next round and never especially appeared like he thought he could win. This is perfectly acceptable – the Serbian is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has developed sufficient experience and tactical know-how to compensate for quite a bit of the drop-off. The issue is those who were anticipating Fritz to prevail, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was yet to done anything that indicated he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the tour nonetheless. He’s a calm, reflective voice in media sessions, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for Daniil Medvedev, willing to not just say how he feels or the strategy he felt decided a contest, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the responsibility for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Group

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• The American contender
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• The German powerhouse
• The rising American
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely think about it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in the summer of winning a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that objective, that overcoming the Spanish and Italian's young, terrifying empire is in fact extremely unlikely for all other players. {