What Taylor Fritz said about Novak Djokovic after losing to him in 2024 as they prepare to meet again at the US Open

Follow us on Google Discover

Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz will reunite at the US Open, with history very much on the side of the Serbian.

Djokovic and Fritz have met 10 times on the ATP Tour so far, with an 11th now taking place in the US Open quarterfinals.

Worryingly for the American, Djokovic has won all 10 of their matches, as well as winning 23 of the 26 sets they have played.

He’s also a four-time champion at the US Open, while Fritz’s best finish came last year when he reached the final.

The home favourite lost out to Jannik Sinner this time last year, but is now back to winning ways in front of American fans.

What Taylor Fritz said about Novak Djokovic in 2024 ahead of US Open match

Djokovic and Fritz last met at a Grand Slam at the 2024 Australian Open, with the Serbian winning their quarterfinal clash 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3.

And when asked after that loss why it is so difficult to win mere points and games against the veteran, Fritz responded: “I think one of the biggest things is just the fact that… well, I mean, he’s so fast he doesn’t really miss a lot of balls.

READ MORE: US Open 2025: Our writers predict the winner and how Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff will perform

“He definitely makes you really work and hit quality shots to win points. It’s also just like the lack of free points he gives you.

“That’s also why we’re playing so, like, you know, the first two sets are so long, as well. It’s, like, I never just hit a second serve and he just misses it. That just doesn’t happen.

“Even when I’m going after my second serve, like hitting second serves that are consistently like 100, 105 miles per hour, like jamming him, he still just puts it on the baseline. It’s definitely tough when you don’t get those free points and you have to work for every single point.”

What Taylor Fritz really thought of his record against Novak Djokovic in 2024

Fritz was also tasked with addressing his poor record with Djokovic at the time, which was 0-8 ahead of their meeting in Melbourne.

It was extended to 0-9 after that clash, with the Serbian taking it to 10-0 with a 2024 ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai win over Fritz.

When asked in Australia how he gets himself to a point where he believes he can win, Fritz replied: “For me, a lot of the record looks pretty bad, but at least five of those matches were played when, in my mind, I was a completely different player. I was younger and I was nowhere near as good as I am now.

“And then the sixth meeting, it was actually pretty close. Prior to this match is the best I had actually played against him, and I had improved a lot as a player. That was relatively close. And then the next two matches I feel like I played very poorly.

“I look at 8-0 and I see, okay, there’s only one match here where I really feel like I played well, I feel like I’m a better player. That one was kind of I served for a second set in that match, it wasn’t a beat-down by any means.

“Yeah, the number, the record sounds very discouraging, but I’m constantly improving as a player. I know that, yeah, if I play the way that I played the first two sets, if I bring that level for five sets, then it’s possible.”

The record will likely be playing on Fritz’s mind ahead of another tough test against Djokovic, but the American will have plenty of backing from the fans this time around.

And that should provide the world number four with a real confidence boost in the early stages of his match, although the 24-time Grand Slam champion will, of course, also have plenty of backing in New York.