In the first two sets in particular, Novak Djokovic faced more challenges than he had anticipated in order to overcome American Taylor Fritz. Nole made it to the Australian Open 2024 semifinals despite displaying a few minor weaknesses during the competition—with the exception of his crushing win over Adrian Mannarino. When the crucial moment comes to bite the prey, a champion such as him becomes delighted and lives for those times.
He has one of the strongest serves on the circuit, so it really helped me out. I made more aces than him, which is a phenomenal thing. I’m happy with how my first two sets turned out. On this very warm day, we naturally played the first 16-minute game, which really taxed me. The first set was intensely competitive and, in a sense, draining. Yes, the first two sets were difficult for me, but I was able to get back on track after that.
He gave me trouble right away, came in with a lot of aggression, and did a terrific job serving. It was a crucial battle and match throughout the first two sets, but things seemed to go more smoothly in the third and fourth sets. My condition began to improve. After the first two sets, everything got better on the court and in terms of serving,” Nole said during the press conference.
Jannik Sinner will be waiting for the Serbian champion when he advances to the semifinals of the Australian Open for the eleventh time. Against the Russian Andrey Rublev, the Italian prevailed in straight sets.
And in practically every game he plays, the Serbian is breaking records! To highlight some of the most significant ones, here are 24 Slams, 40 ATP Masters 1000, 7 ATP Finals of the Finals, and the record number of weeks as ATP No. 1.
However, Nole became the first tennis player to have advanced to the semifinals of all four Grand Slam events at least eleven times when he defeated Fritz in the Melbourne quarterfinals. He performed it twelve times at Wimbledon and Roland Garros. The record, though, is 13 times at the US Open.
Fritz trashes the Australian Open board while praising Djokovic.
Fritz shown his competitiveness by fighting for nearly four hours, but in the end, the American tennis player was forced to concede despite making noticeable progress. The United States rose three spots to the ninth position in the standings.
Fritz evaluated his match during the post-match press conference, complimenting his strong opponent as well.
I’m happy because I gave it my all during the first two sets, which were quite difficult. We completed the two sets in roughly two and a half hours, and that’s ultimately the issue—you need to reach a point where I can compete at this level for five hours. The fact that he can play without making mistakes and maintain a competitive edge is, in my opinion, one of the most crucial factors.
I’m happy because I gave it my all during the first two sets, which were quite difficult. We completed the two sets in roughly two and a half hours, and that’s ultimately the issue—you need to reach a point where I can compete at this level for five hours. The fact that he can play without making mistakes and maintain a competitive edge is, in my opinion, one of the most crucial factors.
It undoubtedly forces you to put in a lot of effort and yields significant rewards. Ultimately, he consistently answers me from the baseline on my second try and never makes a mistake. When your opponent doesn’t give up easy points and you have to work for each one, it might be difficult. In the first two sets, fifteen break points? It was great to arrive at this stage since I was able to trust my instincts and realize that he deserved the break. Perhaps I could have served more effectively, and then I would have had fewer serving issues,” he clarified.
In the past five years, has Fritz regarded Djokovic differently, the journalist questioned?
“No, he’s still the same and excellent as always. I played first, then I served, and he gave me a penalty.”
Fritz criticized the event organizers once more when discussing the quarterfinal encounter, highlighting their disrespect for the athletes: “I needed free points, but they didn’t arrive.” It was a horrible two and a half hours; I was horrible on serve. It’s difficult to warm up and play three sets of five in the middle of the day. As athletes, we should be provided with assistance, especially when we complete our games in the evening or at two in the morning and have to go for conferences and preparation, which concludes at five o’clock. You ought to treat us players with some dignity.”
