Djokovic Silences the Crowd at Flushing Meadows

NEW YORK, MONDAY — Novak Djokovic competed in the 2025 US Open tennis tournament at the age of 38 and (only) as the seventh seed. However, these figures should not be underestimated as Djokovic advanced to the semifinals.

In the quarterfinals at Arthur Ashe Stadium, New York, on Tuesday (2/9/2025) local time or Wednesday (3/9/2025) morning Indonesia time, he managed to endure a high-intensity match for three hours and 27 minutes. Djokovic defeated Taylor Fritz with a score of 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.

The victory dashed the hopes of the home crowd who wanted to see an American men's singles champion since Andy Roddick in 2003. After Djokovic won the first two sets, the atmosphere at Arthur Ashe Stadium became more vibrant during the third set.

For the first time, Fritz led by more than one point, specifically 3-1, after breaking Djokovic's serve in the fourth game. His lead increased to 4-1 when he held his serve in the next game.

Most of the spectators in the stadium were as delighted as the Fritz team, led by senior coach Paul Annacone and Michael Russell. Moreover, the fourth set was closely contested, with both players having equal chances to win it.

The enthusiasm of Fritz's supporters caused the referee to repeatedly calm the audience, who continued to make noise as Djokovic was about to serve. Moreover, the fourth set was marked by drama in the tenth game when Fritz was serving.

Djokovic had two match points while leading 40-15. From this point on, both players played cautiously. They simply held rallies as long as possible, waiting for their opponents to make mistakes. Fritz, who had consistently missed first serves, served his second serve very slowly, as if he were just trying to get the ball to go in.

Fritz, who utilized the support of the audience as a source of energy, secured three consecutive points with that tactic. He only needed one more point to level the score at 5-5.

The world number four had a great opportunity when Djokovic couldn't catch a ball that Fritz had hit back toward the baseline. Djokovic was caught off guard by the net after returning a drop shot. However, Fritz and his supporters were stunned when the ball landed just outside the baseline. This moment brought the game to deuce, 40-40, for the second time in the game.

Two unforced errors from Fritz sent the game to its final game. Even more painful was when Fritz made a double fault that sealed the victory. It was Fritz's only double fault in the fourth set.

The audience was taken aback as Fritz walked dejectedly to shake hands with Djokovic, then threw his towel onto his chair in frustration. On the court, Djokovic celebrated his victory by dancing.

"That was a dance for my child who has a birthday today. I tried to imitate the dance from the K-Pop film Demon Hunters that Tara mentioned a few months ago. Hopefully, when she wakes up tomorrow morning and sees the dance, she will smile," said Djokovic.

His second child, Tara, celebrated her eighth birthday on September 2. Unlike other Grand Slam moments, both of Djokovic's children and his wife, Jelena, were not present in New York.

In addition to the victory over Fritz, which was a win in the 64th quarterfinal at the Grand Slam arena, Djokovic gave Tara a gift in the form of a heart sign with both of his hands. When interviewed after defeating Jan-Lennard Struff in the fourth round, Djokovic shared that he had prepared a gift and surprise for Tara's birthday party even though he was not by his daughter's side.

The victory in the quarterfinals of the 2025 US Open made Djokovic undefeated in 11 encounters with Fritz. This marks the fourth highest number of undefeated victories for the Serbian player, following a 20-0 record against Gael Monfils and a 14-0 record against Jeremy Chardy.

Other tennis players who have lost more times than Fritz against Djokovic are Milos Raonic and Andreas Seppi. They each lost 12 times.

These statistics are considered by Djokovic to potentially lead to divergent thoughts. He can be very confident when facing those players, but at the same time, he must remain highly vigilant.

When facing Fritz, Djokovic activated that alert, especially as the competition in the fourth set became tight. He anticipated the growing confidence of Fritz after winning the third set.

"I am just trying to survive. The last game in the match could have gone to anyone, it was very tense. I am proud to have endured," said Djokovic.

Meanwhile, Fritz believes that there is one thing that distinguishes great tennis players like Djokovic from other players, which is the ability to score points at critical moments. Djokovic can endure in those moments, as demonstrated in the final game.

Furthermore, despite struggling to anticipate Fritz's serve in the third set, Djokovic displayed a more varied game. He outwitted his opponent or won points with serves, returns, baseline groundstrokes, and dropshots that changed the pace of play.

Across the net, Fritz's game tended to be monotonous. Before gaining momentum in the third set, Fritz relied solely on powerful shots from the baseline.

Technical ability, mental resilience, and an attitude that always enjoys competition give Djokovic an advantage over players who are mostly younger than him. His motivation multiplies when competing in Grand Slam events.

This year, Djokovic has consistently reached the semifinals of Grand Slam tournaments despite not being among the top four seeds. The only player who has always been with him in that phase is Jannik Sinner.

Among the other top ten ranked tennis players in the world, the world number one is the only one who leads in the head-to-head statistics against Djokovic, with a record of 6-4. He has defeated Djokovic in their last five encounters since the semifinals of the 2023 Davis Cup. This year, Djokovic lost to the 24-year-old Italian in the semifinals of the French Open and Wimbledon.

Sinner, who will face Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals, is one of two players who have posed challenges to Djokovic in the past three years. The other player is Carlos Alcaraz, who will be the opponent in the semifinals. In the quarterfinals, Alcaraz defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-2, 6-4.

Djokovic leads 5-3 against Alcaraz, including victories in their last two meetings, at the final of the Paris 2024 Olympics and the quarterfinals of the 2025 Australian Open. However, Alcaraz is in better physical condition in the competition at Flushing Meadows. He advanced to the semifinals without losing a single set.

The Spanish tennis player assessed that he played almost perfectly when facing Lehecka. A series of victories in five rounds has heightened his enthusiasm for the semifinal, scheduled for Friday local time.

Lehecka faced Alcaraz three times before meeting at Flushing Meadows, one of which resulted in a victory in the ATP 500 Doha quarterfinals. "In the match earlier, Carlos played a different version, a Grand Slam version. He proved himself to be one of the championship favorites," said Lehecka, who failed to reach his first semifinal in a Grand Slam.

Alcaraz excelled in technical aspects, such as executing powerful groundstrokes, accuracy, and shot direction that were difficult to return, even scoring winners from his "magical" passing shots. He earned points four times from nine break points, while Lehecka did not have a single opportunity to break his opponent's serve.

This ability is accompanied by a mental attitude that can intimidate opponents. In every match, Alcaraz carries the mindset that no matter how tired he is, he must not show it to his opponent.

"If you show that you are in good condition, able to play for two, three hours, or more, and can withstand a long rally, it will make your opponent think that they are facing a tough challenge. Even when walking between points, I demonstrate that I am fit," said the world’s second-ranked tennis player.

In the women's singles competition, an ideal match will take place in one of the semifinals, namely between the top seed, Aryna Sabalenka, and Jessica Pegula (4). They are the players occupying the top two seeds in the upper half of the draw.

Two semifinal tickets in the lower half of the draw will be contested in the quarterfinals on Wednesday local time. The second seed, Iga Swiatek, will face Amanda Anisimova, while Karolina Muchova will compete against two-time US Open champion, Naomi Osaka.

Sabalenka secured a semifinal ticket "for free" after her opponent, Marketa Vondrousova, withdrew from the match. The 2023 Wimbledon champion struggled to cope with knee pain, which was indeed in a state of injury, during the warm-up before the match.

A video from ESPN shows Vondrousova in pain, leaving the practice court in tears. "I tried hard to compete today, but the pain in my knee flared up again during warm-up. After discussing with the tournament doctor, we decided not to take any risks that could worsen the injury. I appreciate all the support and apologize to the fans," said Vondrousova.

Meanwhile, Sabalenka expressed regret over the situation concerning Vondrousova. "It is difficult to see a player who should be competing in such a condition. I feel sorry for Marketa and know that this is very painful for her," Sabalenka wrote on Instagram.

Sabalenka will compete in her fifth consecutive semifinal at the US Open against Jessica Pegula, who triumphed over Barbora Krejcikova with a score of 6-3, 6-3. The semifinal, set to take place on Thursday, will be a rematch of the 2024 US Open final, which Sabalenka won 7-5, 7-5.

If she wins, Sabalenka will maintain her chances of securing her first Grand Slam title this year after losing in the finals of the Australian Open (to Madison Keys) and the French Open (to Cori Gauff). Meanwhile, Pegula will reopen her opportunity to win a Grand Slam for the first time since the 2024 US Open.

The other semifinal ticket in the women's singles will be contested through the quarterfinals between Iga Swiatek and Amanda Anisimova, as well as Naomi Osaka against Karolina Muchova. (AP/Reuters)

Against Jannik Sinner (ranked number one): 4-6

Against Carlos Alcaraz (2): 5-3

Against Alexander Zverev (3): 9-5

Against Taylor Fritz (4): 11-0

Against Jack Draper (5): 1-0

Against Ben Shelton (6): 1-0

Against Alex de Minaur (8): 3-1

Against Karen Khachanov (9): 9-1

Against Lorenzo Musetti (10): 8-1