And so, the wait for an American men’s grand slam champion goes on – for another year at least.
Taylor Fritz, the sole American competitor remaining in the men’s draw, went down fighting in his four-set defeat against Novak Djokovic in the US Open quarter-finals at Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday night, but ultimately came up short against an opponent that has now beaten him 11 times without loss.
Fritz will rue a catalog of missed opportunities on Tuesday night, converting just two out of 13 break points in a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 defeat that ends hopes of breaking a 22-year wait for an American men’s grand slam winner.
Djokovic will now face Carlos Alcaraz in a mouthwatering semifinal on Friday. He said he would use the two-day break to “really take care” of his body.
“I would really love to be fit enough to play potentially five sets with Carlos,” Djokovic said. “I know that my best tennis is going to be required, but I rise to the occasion.
“Normally, I like to play the big matches on a big stage. It’s just that I’m not really sure how the body is going to feel in the next few days.
Djokovic, who was far from his best, displayed the vintage mental fortitude that has defined his career, delivering a masterstroke in how to play the big points and cope with a partisan home crowd throughout the three hours and 24 minutes on Ashe.
That was particularly evident in the opening set, when Djokovic saved break point after break point while serving for the set at 5-3.
The 24-time grand slam champion saved a staggering five break points in a single game, producing a stunning array of shots to keep Fritz at bay, one of which included an overhead smash after a pulsating 25-shot rally.
Djokovic, who had faced heckling from the Arthur Ashe crowd before that point, responded in typical fashion by pointing to his ear and urging the crowd to cheer for him.
The second set unfolded in much the same fashion with Djokovic securing an early break after a sloppy Fritz service game before using his experience to save a number of break points.
He did eventually give up his serve when serving for the set at 5-4, with Fritz converting a break point at the 11th time of asking.
The American, however, appeared to let the adrenaline of finally breaking Djokovic get the better of him in the very next service game, cheaply giving up his serve with two double-faults and two unforced errors from the baseline.
Djokovic was not about to give Fritz another opportunity to break back and comfortably served out to take a two-set advantage.
It was the story of the match for Fritz, who was largely comfortable on his own serve but was prone to the odd lapse that Djokovic was quick to seize on. Fritz’s first serve too often deserted him at crucial junctures, particularly in the second set when he landed just 38% of his first serves. Djokovic also proved incredibly adept at nullifying the powerful Fritz serve at critical moments.
On the rare occasions when Djokovic produced a loose shot on break point and offered Fritz an opportunity to attack, the American snatched at the chance and produced an unforced error.
“I just can’t come out of those first two sets down two sets to love. I need to play better,” Fritz said.
He also praised Djokovic for how he managed the big points, especially in the opening two sets.
“That’s one of the things that makes the great players great, they win the big points… I guess my weapons, my aggressive shots were just not there and were letting me down.”
Djokovic, on the other hand, admitted that Fritz was the “better player” in the second set and said he “somehow found a way” to win after dropping his serve while serving for the set.
Fritz, to his credit, sharpened his game considerably in the third set and did not offer Djokovic a sniff of an opportunity on his own serve, with his first-serve percentage rising considerably to 70%.
Djokovic, meanwhile, appeared to let a partisan crowd get to him for once, engaging in a back-and-forth with the Arthur Ashe crowd while facing a deuce on his own serve. The crowd became so hostile that it even began to whistle and jeer when Djokovic missed a first serve, prompting Djokovic to complain to the umpire.
Fritz seized on the opportunity to break the Djokovic serve and took the third set comfortably, bringing the increasingly vocal crowd to its feet with a backhand winner to take the set.
But Djokovic is not a 24-time Grand Slam champion for nothing, and the Serbian rallied impressively in the fourth set.
Fritz, for once, did not get close to breaking the Djokovic serve in a set that seemed to be coasting toward a tiebreaker as both players upped their level considerably.
But with Fritz serving to stay in the match at 5-4, Djokovic pounced.
Fritz saved two match points after outlasting Djokovic in long rallies before Djokovic forced an error on the Fritz backhand to bring up another. It was a case of third time lucky for the four-time US Open champion when Fritz produced a double-fault to hand Djokovic the match.
