For Taylor Fritz, opportunity awaits in US Open showdown with Novak Djokovic: ‘You have to go and take it’

One win away from his second consecutive trip to the semifinals at the US Open, Taylor Fritz will have to make history Tuesday night to get there — no pressure against all-time great Novak Djokovic.

The last remaining American on the men’s side after Francis Tiafoe’s stunning third-round loss and Ben Shelton’s unfortunate injury withdrawal, Fritz takes another turn against the 24-time grand slam champion he’s never beaten in his career across 10 matches.

“It can be a good thing for me. Hopefully, the crowd is really going to get behind me now because I’m the last guy,” Fritz said this week ahead of his match with Djokovic. “Yeah, it’s surprising. I think it’s just been a rough week for the guys. … I’m happy to be here, and hopefully, if the crowd can get behind me, we can do this.”

Djokovic has only dropped three sets — total — against Fritz, overpowering him with a bevy of winners while having no trouble breaking serve. This is the third time Djokovic and Fritz have met in a major, the last coming in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open.

“The first seven or eight times I played him, I just wasn’t a good enough player to really have much of a chance unless I have the best day ever and he has a bad day,” Fritz said. “Only the last couple times we’ve played, I’ve been a better player that can, I’d say, compete and have chances. Last time we played in Shanghai, I had looks. I had set points in the second set. I really should’ve probably won the second, taken it to a third set.”

Drawing from his 6-4, 7-6 loss to Djokovic last year at the ATP Masters 1000, there were key moments in the second-set tiebreaker that Fritz could’ve won, but the Serbian was more precise. Djokovic has dropped two sets in New York during this tournament, both coming in tiebreaking fashion.

Fritz’s path to an upset

At his best, Fritz dominates on serve and uses opportunistic technique when trying to break. Whether it’s taken a chance on a backhand winner down the line or extending points with slice to try and tire Djokovic, the key for Fritz and his team will be sticking to the game plan and not being overwhelmed agains one of the world’s all-time best.

Using a mix of crafty returns and lobs to try and keep Djokovic from finding a rhythm along with making him reach are areas Fritz could potentially exploit. Djokovic needs three more wins to seize his fifth US Open title, which would be his crown jewel 25th grand slam.

“In the most recent matches we’ve had, there’s been looks. I just haven’t been able to make it happen in the important moments of those matches,” Fritz said. “That’s what makes the best guys the best guys. They’re not going to give it to you in those moments. You have to go and take it.”