A birthday gift, a K-Pop dance – and yet another Djokovic record at the US Open

With 38 years on his back – and the physical toll that age inevitably takes on an elite athlete – Novak Djokovic has added yet another feat to his glittering career. The Serbian defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in 3h24 and advanced to his 13th US Open semifinal, equalling Jimmy Connors’ all-time record. It is also the seventh season in which he has reached the last four at all four Grand Slams. On Friday, most likely in the Arthur Ashe night session (1:00 a.m. ET), he will once again run into Carlos Alcaraz.

Djokovic almost perfect when 2-0

“To be honest, I don’t know,” Djokovic said afterwards. “It was an incredibly even match. I was very lucky to save some break points. And in these matches, a few points decide it.” The numbers back him up – he is almost unbeatable when taking the first two sets in a best-of-five match. His record in those situations is 297-1, the only comeback against him coming from Austria’s Jurgen Melzer at Roland Garros in 2010. On just five other occasions has an opponent managed to push him to a fifth set.

Fritz, 27 and ranked No 4, a finalist in New York in 2014, failed largely because he let slip 11 of 13 break chances. In most other stats, he actually bettered Djokovic. But it wasn’t enough. After saving two match points, he could do nothing with the third.

“I don’t feel like I dominated from the baseline,” said Djokovic. “In many of my service games I was fighting just to stay alive. At the end of the day, winning is what matters. And I give everything for this sport.” He also remembered his daughter Tara. “It’s already her birthday – the match ended at midnight. This is a big gift for her. We celebrated because she taught me how to dance to a K-Pop song called Soda Pop by Demon Hunters. At home we came up with some choreographies, and I hope when she sees it in the morning, she’ll have a good laugh.”

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