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I possess some opinions about that comments delivered by ESPN broadcaster a well-known announcer after the Serbian champion's win over Taylor Fritz during the New York major quarter-finals. Consider – Fritz is American, the commentator is American – and sports often encourage nationalism. Some letdown was understandable. Instead, he brought up the ongoing drought of American men at grand slam tournaments: not one of them had lifted a trophy since the last American champion in 2003, and he had been the last one standing in the tournament.

Everyone enjoy a storyline, myself included. But really. Suppose the American had beaten Djokovic for the initial occasion, phenomenal talent the Spanish star was waiting in the following match, whom he has never defeated in an competitive encounter. And had he somehow survived that, it would have been title holder Jannik Sinner, against whom the American had dropped 10 of the last 11 sets. The two young stars had also split the last seven major titles (and Alcaraz proceeded to thrash a fatigued Djokovic in the subsequent match). He stated in press following his defeat that he actually preferred his path, because it offered the chance to beat the three best competitors in the world in succession. He is more than within his right to aim for the accomplishment; an athlete is supposed to believe in themselves. But entering that Serbian quarter-final what other person sensibly had the lack of American champions in mind?

Coco Gauff’s second serve the only thing between her and sustained success

The American, 28, is ranked number four in the global rankings starting the upcoming ATP World Tour Finals and has won his previous six matches over No 3 Alexander Zverev with growing comfort. It's likely he might claim that position for himself in the coming years. But it’s clear that right now, that is as far as he can climb: Sinner and Alcaraz lie a vast gap of ranking points away. His elite delivery and concussive strength on both front side and backhand are more than adequate to defeat the majority of opponents on the professional circuit. When facing the select few once-in-a-lifetime players, however, Fritz is often overmatched. The last several seasons has witnessed the curious emergence of lanky, towering players who can nonetheless move around with the surprising quickness and fluidity of smaller men. He is 6ft 5ins and appears that way. His footwork is rigid, as if he hasn't fully adapted to his legs. So he’ll rarely win a rally that the other player was dictating, and hitting a soft shot against him is usually a safe bet. That acts as a quite severe limitation on his upside.

The American has made a number of dramatic, improbable improvements throughout his career. At the beginning of the decade, he was hovering around the bottom of the top 30. 24 months later, he was approaching the top 10. Last year, he unexpectedly surged to fourth place – and maintained the spot. But the subsequent step, competing against and beating all-time-greats like the young Spaniard, the Italian, and even a aging Djokovic, is the toughest of all. What could the commentator thinking? That the American, in 2025, was a legitimate contender to beat them all back-to-back? That it was appropriate mentioning the ongoing drought of US male players lifting major titles when Fritz had exited the New York major 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 run to the Wimbledon last four in the summer.

The American's performance in that very last eight match should have been enough of an sign. The Serbian won in four rounds, a victory that only felt tenuous for moments towards the very end, when Fritz had saved a couple match points and had a opportunity to maintain serve for 5-5. The pair appeared well-balanced during the rallies, with Fritz earning plenty of chances to break. But the champion rescued service break opportunity after service break opportunity, extending the streak to the brink of frustration. When he finally did claim a single of the opportunities at 5-5 in the middle stanza, he immediately played a terrible game to lose his own serve once more; the Serbian had drawn him into a battle peripheral to the real battle and forced him to use far too much effort to prevail. Down match points in the last game, Fritz’s first serve sailed to the sky. He prolonged the match two times on his second serve, but finally committed two errors. It was not a collapse, in my opinion, only a consequence of having to hit an excessive number of second serves.

The contest was fairly ironclad proof that the American is not good enough to defeat any version of the Serbian, that lost to Alcaraz in the next round and never particularly seem like he believed he could triumph. This is absolutely fine – Djokovic is the greatest of all time, and might not be at the peak of his athletic abilities now, but has developed sufficient knowledge and strategic intelligence to make up for a significant portion of the decline. The problem is those who were expecting the American to prevail, and pressuring him to do so, when he was had not accomplished anything that suggested he could.

The American is an valuable contributor to the circuit nonetheless. He’s a patient, reflective presence in press conferences, exceeding almost anyone on the men's tour except for the Russian star, willing to not just say how he feels or the tactic he believed decided a match, but explain it. That he should shoulder the majority of the blame for America not spawn a men's grand slam winner since Andy Roddick feels unfair. (Now that the fellow American is rubbing shoulders with him in the standings, maybe they can divide that burden.)

ATP Finals: Player Divisions

Jimmy Connors Division

• The Spanish phenom
• Taylor Fritz (US)
• The Australian speedster
• The Italian stylist

Bjorn Borg Division

• The Italian champion
• Alexander Zverev (Ger)
• Ben Shelton (US)
• The Canadian talent

“I would likely dwell on it indefinitely if I don’t do it,” Fritz told a journalist in June of claiming a grand slam. It is hoped he realizes that he’s not unsuccessful if he doesn’t fulfill that goal, that overcoming Alcaraz and Sinner’s young, terrifying reign is actually extremely improbable for everybody else. {