Novak Djokovic is back in the Australian Open semi-finals. The defending champion defeated American Taylor Fritz 7:6 (7:3), 4:6, 6:2, 6:3 in Melbourne on Tuesday and is on course for his eleventh title at the tournament. It was Djokovic's ninth win in his ninth fight with Fritz. After 3:45 hours, the 24-time Grand Slam winner converted his first match point.
However, the world number one from Serbia was once again not fully convinced. In the first set, the 36-year-old had to fend off two set points and then even dropped the second round. It was only when Fritz's strength began to wane that Djokovic took control of the match.
Djokovic will face Italy's Janic Sinner, who has played well in Melbourne so far, or Russian Andrej Rublev in Friday's semi-finals. “I suffered a lot in the first two sets because he played so well,” Djokovic said after the match. “It was very tiring physically and mentally,” said the Serb.
