Feeling ‘trapped in the heat’, Djokovic delighted to escape Fritz QF battle

For the third time this Australian Open campaign, Novak Djokovic found himself pegged back to one-set-all on Tuesday. For the third time, the World No. 1 found a mid-match boost to charge to a four-set triumph inside Rod Laver Arena.

Yet sweltering conditions and a Top 20 opponent in Taylor Fritz made Djokovic’s 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 quarter-final win arguably his most impressive yet this fortnight at Melbourne Park. Although he ultimately accelerated to victory after a lung-busting opening two sets, Djokovic was left in no doubt as to the physical test he had passed against the No. 12 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

“It was a hot day,” reflected Djokovic in his post-match press conference. “Obviously we started with a 16 or 17-minute first game which took a lot out of us both players, and a very close first set. Just physically gruelling rallies. He was making me uncomfortable on the court because he was very aggressive.

“He served great. He was staying close to the line, taking the ball early, making me run. I was oftentimes on the back foot. So credit to him for playing really well. You could see that he had a clear game plan. He was really sharp. So it was definitely a struggle for me to play the first couple sets.”

Even Djokovic, who has enjoyed so much historic success competing in Australian summers, acknowledged the difficulty of staying composed when the heat dials up in Melbourne.

“I tried everything I possibly can in the very short amount of time in the changeovers,” said the record 10-time Australian Open champion of his match against Fritz. “I think we both felt the effect of the heat. When you're playing on a hard court, the heat is absorbed in the surface. So down there for us players, we feel probably even more heat than you would feel in the stands, and of course [we are] running.

“It's hard to [lower] your heart rate and kind of control your breathing. It's very intense. The high level of tennis and intensity exerts a lot of effort, and you feel you're spending a lot of energy, and you don't have much time to recover.

“The icing, ice bags on the head, all over the body, is one of the ways to try to bring the temperature down, cool yourself down a bit, because you feel you're trapped in this heat, inside and outside, particularly today.”

48TH Grand Slam Semi-final 🔥@DjokerNole battles past Fritz 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3!@AustralianOpen | #AusOpen pic.twitter.com/0ps9kqMpHM

— ATP Tour (@atptour) January 23, 2024

With his record-extending 33rd consecutive Australian Open win, Djokovic set a semi-final showdown with fourth seed Jannik Sinner. His motivation to continue breaking boundaries at the hard-court major shows no sign of abating.

“I'm aware of the streak that I'm on and the amount of matches that I have won in my career on Rod Laver Arena,” said Djokovic, who has lifted the trophy in Melbourne on all 10 previous occasions he has reached the semi-finals. “I don't want to let that go. The longer the streak goes, the more that kind of confidence, also expectations build, but also the willingness to really walk the extra mile, so to say.

“I just love playing on this court. It's been "the" court for me in my career.”