The 2024 version of Novak Djokovic is regularly shaken up during this Australian Open. But like almost all versions of the Serbian, she ended up winning match after match on the Rod Laver Arena. Tuesday, January 23, the world number 1 punched his ticket for the semi-finals of the Australian Open by dismissing, not without difficulty, the American Taylor Fritz (n°12) at the end of a four-set fight (7 -6, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3). Djokovic will meet the winner of the confrontation between the Italian Jannik Sinner and the Russian Andrey Rublev.
Roomer, Djokovic moves up a gear in the tie-break of the 1st set
Bad news for anyone who dares to stand against him: once Nole reaches the last four in Melbourne, he has gotten into the habit of lifting the trophy. He has already achieved this ten times during his career, and Fritz unfortunately did not manage to stop his illustrious opponent before he came within two steps of a new title. The American with his powerful serve nevertheless kept up the pace for a long time, even managing to win the right to play a tie-break in the first set.
Djokovic’s unexpected howl
Djoko quickly put himself back in place
But this exercise has become the preserve of Djokovic for many seasons now, and the world number 1 was quick to pocket a new one, 7 points to 3. While he could have sunk after the loss of This first round lasted 1h30, Fritz held on, multiplying the winning shots (63 in total) and the races. Above all, the American achieved the feat of saving the first 15 break points he had to defend – a performance that no one had managed against Djokovic – until being rewarded by winning the second set.
Djokovic’s incredible baseline volley
Visibly affected physically by the harshness of the duel, Djokovic did not take long to reassure his fans scattered around the stadium. With a blank entry break, he reminded his impetuous opponent why he was the record holder for Grand Slam lifts (24) and then continued until concluding the match, despite a break conceded at the end of the fourth round.
The American obstacle cleared in just under four hours, Novak Djokovic will have to recover quickly, because a real obstacle course awaits him to a potential new title. After Sinner or Rublev in the next round, he could indeed find Daniil Medvedev or a certain Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Djokovic to Kyrgios: “I felt like I was playing you”
2024-01-23 11:03:00
#Australian #Open #Novak #Djokovic #overcomes #Taylor #Fritz #return #semifinals
