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New York: Novak Djokovic will appear in his 53rd grand slam semi-final, breaking a record set in 1989 by Chris Evert, after defeating home favourite Taylor Fritz in a late-night thriller at the US Open in New York.
The world No.7 disposed of the American in four sets to lock in a showdown on Friday with in-form second seed Carlos Alcaraz, who has not dropped a set all tournament and is looking to win his sixth grand slam on the court where he captured his first in 2022.
Djokovic’s match against Fritz had all the trappings of an epic battle, with Fritz at an all-time high ranking of No. 4 and taking on the ageing Serbian master before a rowdy, partisan crowd in a late-night centre court contest.
But the predictable prevailed. Djokovic, who had beaten Fritz in all 10 of their previous encounters, extended that margin to 11-0 and left the American ruing a slew of missed opportunities after failing to convert 10 break points in the first two sets.
In a remarkable feat, the 38-year-old Djokovic has now reached the semi-finals of all four of this year’s majors - though he has not made the final of any. His latest victory takes him past Evert’s record of 52 grand slam semi-final appearances, the most of any male or female player in the open era, set when she made the semi-final at Wimbledon in 1989 shortly before retiring.
And in a testament to his incredible consistency over a long career, this is the seventh time that Djokovic has reached at least the semi-finals of all four grand slams in the same season: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2021, 2023 and now 2025.
Novak Djokovic in action against Taylor Fritz at the US Open.Credit: AP
Djokovic said in his post-match press conference that his consistent success this year reflected his decision to focus on grand slam tennis. “So here we are – I have another chance, another shot.”
Fritz failed to convert 10 break points in the first two sets before finally making the most of Djokovic’s own service woes, before immediately gifting a break back to the Serb.
“I had so many more chances that you’re not going to see on the stat line,” a dejected Fritz lamented after the match. “He gave me a lot more mistakes than he usually does.”
The American said he had played too many points badly, either by being too conservative, pulling the trigger at the wrong time, or generally making the wrong decisions.
A key moment early in the third seemed like it might be a game-changer when Fritz, egged on by a desperate crowd, broke Djokovic and held on to claim the set.
Spectators began to loudly cheer and applaud when Djokovic served a fault – a major no-no in tennis – and roared when he double faulted. The Serb then elicited a chorus of boos when he approached the chair umpire to complain.
“Not now, please,” the umpire warned the crowd as a “let’s go Taylor” chant began.
But Djokovic is too experienced and too accomplished to be rattled for long. And while the fourth set was competitive and high quality, Fritz’s serve again deserted him at the business end, gifting the 24-time grand slam champion a chance he was always going to seize.
“He was the better player [in the] second and third set,” a reflective Djokovic said later. “I got really out of trouble in the second somehow.
“I honestly thought for my standards that I wasn’t playing well. I didn’t feel the ball as well as I did in the third round.”
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Djokovic was well aware he will need to lift if he is to beat Alcaraz and then potentially the world No.1, Italian Jannik Sinner, in the final.
“It’s not going to get easier, I can tell you that. I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I rise to the occasion normally.”
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