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I possess a few opinions regarding the comments made by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer following Novak Djokovic's win over Taylor Fritz during the US Open quarter-finals. Look – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and athletic competitions frequently lend themselves to nationalism. Some letdown was appropriate. Instead, he brought up the continued absence of US male players at the majors: not one 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 looming in the next round, whom he has yet to beat in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow gotten past that, it would have been defending champion Jannik Sinner, versus him Fritz had dropped 10 of the previous eleven sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and the Spaniard went on to defeat a fatigued Djokovic in the next round). He stated in post-match interviews following his defeat that he in fact liked his path, 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 achievement; an competitor is meant to believe in themselves. But going into that Djokovic quarter-final what other person in their right mind had the drought of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s weaker delivery the sole barrier standing in her way and consistent victories

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the world entering this week’s year-end championships and has secured his last six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. Presumably he could claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can rise: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His top-class serve and powerful power on each front side and reverse side are sufficiently adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the handful of once-in-a-lifetime players, however, he is often helpless. The past few seasons has seen the curious emergence of tall, gangly athletes who can nonetheless cover the court with the alarming speed and fluidity of smaller men. Fritz is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is stiff, as if he’s still getting used to his limbs. So he seldom steal a point that the opponent was controlling, and hitting a drop shot against him is typically a reliable tactic. That acts as a pretty harsh limitation on his upside.

The American has made a several dramatic, unexpected improvements over the years. At the beginning of the decade, he was circling the lower end of the world's best thirty. 24 months after, he was sniffing the top 10. Last year, he suddenly surged up to fourth place – and held the position. But the next leap, competing against and defeating all-time-greats like Alcaraz, the Italian, and including a aging Djokovic, is the toughest 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 mentioning the continuing drought of American men lifting grand slams when Fritz had exited the US Open in the quarter-finals? The desperation is just excessive and the appreciation for the difficulty of the challenge too little.

Taylor Fritz achieved a personal best run to the Wimbledon semi-finals in the summer.

The American's play in that exact last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a win that only seemed uncertain for brief periods towards the conclusion, when Fritz had saved a few championship opportunities and had a chance to hold for 5-5. The pair looked well-balanced during the rallies, with the American creating numerous chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after break point, extending the streak to the brink of agony. When Fritz eventually did claim one of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he promptly played a terrible service game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a skirmish secondary to the real battle and forced him to use excessive effort to prevail. Facing set points in the last game, his first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the contest two times on his backup delivery, but ultimately committed two errors. It was not a choke, in my opinion, just a result of having to hit an excessive number of weaker deliveries.

The contest was quite compelling evidence that Fritz is insufficiently skilled to defeat any version of Djokovic, who was defeated by the Spaniard in the next round and never particularly appeared like he believed he could triumph. 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 acquired enough knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the drop-off. The issue is those who were expecting the American to win, and putting pressure on him to do so, when he was had not done anything that indicated he would.

Fritz is an asset to the tour regardless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in media sessions, more so than virtually everyone on the ATP except for Daniil Medvedev, prepared to not only express how he feels or the strategy he believed determined a match, 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 feels unfair. (Since the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can share that load.)

Year-End Championships: Singles Groups

Jimmy Connors Division

• Carlos Alcaraz (Sp)
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• Lorenzo Musetti (It)

Bjorn Borg Division

• Jannik Sinner (It)
• The German powerhouse
• Ben Shelton (US)
• Félix Auger-Aliassime (Can)

“I’d probably dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in the summer of claiming a grand slam. I hope he understands that he’s not a failure if he does not fulfill that goal, that breaking through the Spanish and Italian's dominant, formidable reign is actually extremely improbable for all other players. {