Novak Djokovic says he has a very simple mindset when facing players who have never beaten him and that's not to allow them to get their first win.
On Tuesday, Djokovic overcame home star Taylor Fritz in four sets 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-4 to reach the US Open semifinal. By doing so, the current world No. 7 extended his perfect head-to-head against the fourth-ranked American to 11-0. They clashed for the first time six and a half years ago, when the Serb won their 2019 Monte Carlo Masters meeting.
Over the last two years, Fritz has made a significant improvement in his game as he has established as a regular top-10 player, and he is also a Masters champion and a Grand Slam runner-up. But in four matches played against Djokovic since 2023, he has won only one set.
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However, the American tennis star is not the player against whom Djokovic has the most dominant head-to-head. Versus former world No. 6 Gael Monfils, the 38-year-old Serb has 20 wins in as many matches played.
Djokovic: You don't want to let him win even one
"You like matching up with the guys that you've never lost against. But at the same time, there's always anticipation for those matches. Like particularly with Monfils, every single time I play him, people [say], 'Okay, is this the time where he's going to beat me or not?' Then there's always that added pressure that you feel on the court that you need to win. You don't want to let him win even one," the record 24-time Grand Slam champion explained.
During the Djokovic and Fritz match, the American's coach Michael Russell joined ESPN for a mid-match conversation. And while the home star was down by two sets, coach Russell made a telling statement.
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"He's giving Novak too much credit - just stay in the rally and find a forehand to go after. A lot of it is psychological, he has lost to him 10 times, but it's the US Open - get the crowd involved and just relax," Russell said on ESPN.
