'She was not happy, so don't remind me of that please': Novak Djokovic's bittersweet US Open run amid daughter's birthday

Preparing for Taylor Fritz

Djokovic now turns his focus to Taylor Fritz, who awaits in the quarterfinals. He acknowledged the American has developed his game significantly and may try something new against him.

This is despite the fact that Djokovic holds a 10-0 Head-to-Head, something that hew as quipped about after his win over Struff.

“That was the case last round, actually,” Djokovic explained. “He was playing more aggressively than he ever has against me, to be honest. I expect players who’ve never beaten me to try something different, maybe play more aggressive to make me uncomfortable. But I don’t think there’ll be major changes with Taylor. You stick to the game plan that got you here—his serve and forehand are his two big weapons.

“He’s also improved his movement a lot. For a big guy, he moves really well, and I think it’s underestimated. That’s helped him make finals and semifinals of Slams. He’s knocking on the door. We’ve played in the quarters here before, that time in the day; now it might be a night match, which I’d like because I’ve been playing well at night. Let’s see. Whatever happens, I know what I have to do. Tonight was my best performance of the tournament so far, and hopefully I can keep that going.”

Grand Slam motivation and undefeated match-ups

At this stage of his career, Djokovic knows each Slam run raises the question of legacy. Would winning this US Open stand as his biggest achievement?

“It could be, but it’s still a long way,” he said. “What I’ve learned in the last couple of years is to take one match at a time. Of course, I’m dreaming of winning another Slam—it would be amazing here. But I can’t allow myself to think that far ahead. I need to focus on what’s necessary to win the next match. The last Slam I won was here, two years ago, so it would be a nice journey to close the circle here again.”

Djokovic has compiled dominant head-to-head records against several rivals, including a perfect slate against Gaël Monfils. He said those situations bring a unique type of pressure.

“It’s kind of both ways,” he admitted. “Pressure is always there, but maybe a little less because you’re confident in the matchup. But there’s also anticipation. With Monfils, for example, every time people ask, ‘Is this the time he beats you?’ That adds pressure—you don’t want to let him win even once. So, yeah, it’s a little bit of both.”

Finally, Djokovic was asked to compare the mentality of Fritz chasing a first Slam with his own quest for a record 25th. “Quite different,” Djokovic said. “Going for your first Slam, there’s so much energy in that anticipation, that vision of accomplishing the dream of so many players. Probably 99% of young players dream of winning one Slam. For Taylor, as an American, I’d assume the US Open is that dream. For me, it was back in 2008 when I won my first Slam. I felt a huge relief because I did it quite early.

“But you see a guy like Zverev, for example, who’s been in multiple Slam finals and hasn’t yet won. The longer it goes, the worse it gets, the more weight you feel on your shoulders. Taylor definitely has the game and potential to be a Slam winner. He was one match away here last year. There’s no reason he can’t believe he can do it—hopefully not this year, but any other year is fine.”