Desk Report,
Djokovic’s father ‘dances’ for his daughter as she faces Alcaraz in the semifinals
Serbian legend Novak Djokovic advanced to the semifinals of the US Open this morning after defeating American Taylor Fritz 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Seventh seed Djokovic, who is seeking a record 25th Grand Slam title, will face second seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the semifinals.
Djokovic’s father ‘dances’ for his daughter as she faces Alcaraz in the semifinals
In another match in the men’s singles quarterfinals, Alcaraz, who is 16 years younger than Djokovic, defeated Czech Republic’s Jiri Lehecka 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 last night to advance to the semifinals. Alcaraz and Djokovic will face off in the final on Friday. Djokovic danced to the theme song from the K-pop movie “Demon Hunters” after defeating fourth seed Fritz. The legend’s 8-year-old daughter Tara taught him the dance. Yesterday was Tara’s eighth birthday. Djokovic had earlier said that his daughter was upset with him for not being able to attend this year’s birthday. Djokovic, apparently to appease his daughter, declared the quarterfinal victory as a ‘big gift’ for him. However, the 24-time Grand Slam winner also said that his daughter will judge how well he danced on the court, ‘We do different choreographies at home, this (court dance) is one of them. I hope I can put a smile on her face when she wakes up (Wednesday) morning.’
On the court, Djokovic said that he danced to the music of Netflix and Sony’s ‘Kpop Demon Hunters’ movie. However, the victory was not so easy. The 38-year-old Djokovic secured victory in the final set after Fritz double-faulted on match point in the 10th game. “In such a match, the winner is decided by a few points on either side. It was a close fight. Anyone could have won.” Djokovic last played against Alcaraz in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open in January. He won the match and took a 5-3 lead in the doubles. This will be their fifth meeting at a Grand Slam and their first at the US Open. Djokovic has won against Alcaraz three times on hard courts before. Djokovic said about the semi-final against the 22-year-old Alcaraz, “It won’t be easy. The next few days are very important for me to get my body back in shape. “If necessary, you have to be ready for a five-set battle… I know I have to play my best tennis.”
Alcaraz played almost ‘perfect’ tennis last night before Djokovic took to the Arthur Ashe Stadium to reach the semifinals. Lehetchka barely managed to get past him in the 1-hour, 56-minute match. Alcaraz, who is seeking his sixth Grand Slam title, has not lost a set in this tournament. He hit 28 winners against Lehetchka and never faced a break point.
