- Djokovic beat Fritz 7-6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 to reach Aus Open semis.
- 11th Slam semi for Djokovic, extending his lead over Federer in post-35 top-20 wins.
- Fritz wins set 2 but Djokovic dominates the rest for a record 9th win vs him.
In keeping with his unstoppable form, Djokovic, 36, overcame his American opponent and advanced to the slam semifinal for the eleventh time overall—his 48th Grand Slam semifinal.
Novak Djokovic. AO semifinalist for the 11th time 💫@DjokerNole • #AusOpen • #AO2024 pic.twitter.com/OOc4FCQ3CM
— #AusOpen (@AustralianOpen) January 23, 2024
Fritz gave the American two set chances early in the opening set, giving the Serb a rough time. However, Djokovic, who is famed for winning under duress, rallied to win 7-6.
Frtiz forced Djokovic to battle throughout the ten-game match with an outstanding comeback in the second set, winning 6-4.
In order to continue his quest for a record-tying 11th slam in Melbourne, Djokovic defeated Fritz in consecutive sets, despite feeling the pressure of having dropped the previous set. This allowed him to go to another Australian Open semi-final.
Thus far, Djokovic has triumphed over Fritz in nine of the nine head-to-head encounters.
In the process, the 36-year-old surpassed the great Roger Federer, who accomplished it 14 times, to win his 15th ATP top 20 match at a Grand Slam since turning 35.
15 - Defeating Taylor Fritz, Novak Djokovic claimed his 15th ATP top 20 win at Grand Slams since turning 35, surpassing Roger Federer (14) for the most of any 35+ player since the ATP rankings were published in 1973. Evergreen.#AusOpen | @AustralianOpen @DjokerNole @atptour pic.twitter.com/7ulSA4rDEq
— OptaAce (@OptaAce) January 23, 2024
The Serb spoke candidly about facing Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev, stating that each is at the top of their game and that playing against them would be a fantastic challenge.
“Both are in great form," Djokovic said when asked about his semi-final against one of Sinner or Rublev."I watched Rublev the other night against de Minaur. Some of the quickest & most gruelling exchanges I’ve seen in Rod Laver Arena in years. They both played incredible tennis.
"Sinner is playing the tennis of his life. He had a fantastic ending of last season. We had a couple great encounters in Torino & Davis Cup. Very close one’s going 7-6, 7-5 in the third. I can expect him to always play on the highest level. Let’s get some popcorn, you and I. We’ll chill on the sofa, enjoy the match, & watch them play.”
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