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I have a few opinions about that comments made by the sports network broadcaster Chris Fowler after the Serbian champion's victory over the American player in the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is the United States, Fowler is American – and athletic competitions often lend themselves to nationalism. A little bit of disappointment would have been understandable. Instead, Fowler invoked the continued drought of US male players at the majors: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and Fritz had been the final representative in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But come on. Suppose Fritz defeated Djokovic for the first time, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the next round, who he has yet to beat in an official match. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder the Italian, against whom Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also divided the last seven grand slams (and the Spaniard went on to thrash a tired Djokovic in the subsequent match). Fritz stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact preferred his path, because it offered the chance to defeat the top three players in the sport back-to-back. Fritz is well justified to aspire to the achievement; an competitor is meant to have faith in themselves. But going into that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

The American star's second serve the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

Fritz, 28, is placed number four in the world entering this week’s ATP World Tour Finals and has secured his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with increasing ease. Presumably he could take that spot for himself in the future. But it’s clear that at present, that’s as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz sit a chasm of performance metrics away. Fritz’s top-class serve and powerful strength on each front side and backhand are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the ATP tour. Against the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is frequently overmatched. The past few years has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller players. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and looks it. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his legs. So he seldom win a rally that the other player was controlling, and hitting a drop shot versus him is typically a safe bet. That serves as a pretty severe restriction on his upside.

Fritz has achieved a several dramatic, unexpected improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the ten-year period, he was circling the lower end of the top 30. Two years after, he was sniffing the elite ten. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to No 4 – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating legendary figures like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the highest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That Fritz, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to defeat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the continuing drought of US male players lifting grand slams when Fritz had departed the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

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

The American's performance in that very quarter-final ought to have been enough of an sign. Djokovic triumphed in four rounds, a victory that only seemed uncertain for moments towards the conclusion, when the American had saved a couple match points and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The duo appeared well-balanced during the exchanges, with the American earning numerous opportunities to win the opponent's serve. But the champion saved service break opportunity after break point, prolonging the streak to the point of agony. When Fritz finally did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a horrendous service game to lose his own serve again; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle secondary to the real battle and forced him to expend far too much energy to win it. Down match points in the final game, Fritz’s first serve floated to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his second serve, but ultimately double-faulted. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a consequence of needing to hit too many weaker deliveries.

The match was fairly compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any form of the Serbian, that was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and did not particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely acceptable – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and may not be at the peak of his physical powers anymore, but has acquired sufficient experience and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The issue is the individuals who were anticipating Fritz to win, and pressuring him to achieve that, when he was yet to accomplished anything that suggested he could.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a calm, reflective presence in press conferences, more so than almost everyone on the men's tour aside from the Russian star, prepared to not only say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a contest, but clarify it. That he ought to bear the brunt of the blame for America not produce a men's grand slam winner since the last American titlist seems unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that load.)

ATP Finals: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Group

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

Swedish icon Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz informed an interviewer in June of winning a major. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that objective, that breaking through Alcaraz and Sinner’s dominant, formidable empire is actually extremely unlikely for everybody else. {