After some brilliant initial round wins, the reigning champion, Novak Djokovic has now reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open. The Serbian tennis star will now lock horns with either Taylor Fritz or Stefanos Tsitsipas in a high-profile quarterfinal match. Ahead of an exciting encounter, the 24-time singles Grand Slam champion recently brought to light his villainous side as he made a wish for rivals Fritz and Tsitsipas’ match in Melbourne.
Nole thumped 20th-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino while pulling off back-to-back bagel sets, 6-0, 6-0, 6-3, at the Rod Laver Arena. As he will now play a high-profile match next, the Serb recently issued his honest take on his upcoming opponents in the Grand Slam event.
Novak Djokovic on playing either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Taylor Fritz at the Australian Open
In his on-court interview, the currently ranked world No. 1 player was questioned about his upcoming quarterfinal matchup, which pits him against the winner of Tsitsipas vs. Fritz in the fourth round. Djokovic said, “Well we know Stefanos and I played the final here last year. He’s an been established top 5, top 10 player for many years now. Very experienced with playing on a big stage. He’s got the complete game. Obviously very focused. Great player, no doubt. “
Novak Djokovic on playing either Stefanos Tsitsipas or Fritz:
“Well we know Stefanos and I played the final here last year. He’s an been established top 5, top 10 player for many years now. Very experienced with playing on a big stage. He’s got the complete game. Obviously very… pic.twitter.com/cUMxN19drC
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter)
January 21, 2024
While speaking about his American colleague, the ‘Djoker’ stated, “On the other hand, you have Fritz. They’re battling it out right now. Let’s see. Hopefully they go to 5 sets, over 6 hours, with some rain interruptions, light malfunctions, & they continue tomorrow ”
Given the current state of their fourth-round match, it is Fritz who will most likely square off against the 24-time singles Grand Slam champion. The 12th-seeded American won the first set of the match, 7-6, before he dropped the next set, 5-7, against Tsitsipas. Even in the third set, Fritz came out on top as he won it 6-3, and he is now dominating the fourth set as well (5-3).
UPDATE: Fritz has finally defeated the 7th-seeded Greek player, 7-6,5-7,6-3,6-3, in an almost three-hour-long thriller at the John Cain Arena. He will now be up against the defending champion, Djokovic, in a blockbuster quarterfinal match at the Australian Open. The Serbian player is currently dominating his H2H record against Fritz, 8-0, as they will now square off against each other for the ninth time on the tour.
Who do you think will prevail in the high-profile quarterfinal match between Fritz and Djokovic at the Australian Open? Let us know in the comments section.
