Novak Djokovic gives his opinion on Taylor Fritz's performance against him at the US Open after knocking him out

Novak Djokovic remains on course to claim a 25th Grand Slam title after beating Taylor Fritz at the US Open.

Djokovic played no tennis going into this tournament, with his last performance coming when he was thrashed by Jannik Sinner on Centre Court at Wimbledon.

Plenty are advising Djokovic when he should retire, but on this showing, he’s highlighting that he’s far from finished as he continues to mix it with the in-form players.

After beating Jan-Lennard Struff, Djokovic surpassed another of Roger Federer’s records at this year’s US Open and the GOAT debate does feel over before the Serb’s eventual retirement.

Fritz hailed Djokovic in the build-up to this contest and after beating him in four sets, the serial Grand Slam winner had some kind words for the American in return.

Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

What Novak Djokovic said about Taylor Fritz after beating him

Djokovic didn’t exactly get on with the crowd at the US Open last night as they threw their weight behind Fritz to try and roar him through to another semifinal.

The Serbian prefers to be the pantomime villain, however, and the more the crowd jeered, the more winners Djokovic started to crack, which proved no help to Fritz at all.

After the game, Djokovic picked where it was won and lost, with the player conceding that he had some sympathy for Fritz, with fine margins working against him.

He said in his press conference: “It was an incredibly close match. It really was anybody’s match. I was lucky to save some crucial break points in the second set. I think for most of the second and third sets, he was the better player.

More Tennis News

“I think in these kinds of matches, a few points decide the winner. It was, fortunately, coming on my side, particularly the end of the fourth, that last game was nerve-wracking.

“It was a tough one for Taylor to finish off with a double fault, he didn’t deserve that, but great fight and tournament for him for sure.”

Novak Djokovic shares what Fritz did in the fourth set that surprised him

Djokovic managed to take this one out in four after Fritz had fought back in the third set to make something of a match of the quarterfinal.

It’s been a sound run of late for Fritz, but perhaps he will look back on this match with Djokovic as a missed opportunity to improve his abysmal record against him.

Djokovic admitted that he had to dig deep and further praised Fritz for the way in which he went about things as the game wore on, admitting that he served really well.

He continued: “I didn’t feel like I was dominating today from the back of the court. In many of my service games, I was just trying to stay alive, fight for every ball. He was aggressive and stayed close to the line. It was not easy to play him. He has been playing some really good tennis this week.

“But at the end of the day, a win matters. I am really proud of the fight that I put in and I wear my heart on my sleeve always on this court, so I’m still enjoying it.”

Djokovic has now set up a mouthwatering contest with Carlos Alcaraz, with the Serb needing to find another gear to send the world number two packing.

Click here to read article