Featured Image Credit: Mike Stobe / Stringer via Getty
Topics: Novak Djokovic, US Open, Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz
James Taylor
Topics: Novak Djokovic, US Open, Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic made a heartbreaking comment at the US Open as he told the interviewer 'don't remind me of that'.
Djokovic cruised past the German Jan-Lennard Struff in straight sets at the Arthur Ashe Stadium to set up a quarter-final clash with home favourite Taylor Fritz. The Serb shares the record of the most Grand Slam singles titles with Margaret Court with 24, but he is aiming to become the outright record holder in New York.
In order to do so, he will most likely also have to beat Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals and Jannik Sinner in the final to win the US Open. First of all he has to get past Fritz on Tuesday, with the game taking place on his daughter Tara's eighth birthday.
When Djokovic was asked about missing her birthday celebrations, he admitted his daughter was unhappy about it.
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He said: "It is what it is. We predicted that might happen."
"She was not very happy about it, me being absent from the birthday party Don't remind me of that, please. But I'll try to win if I'm here.
"At least I'm going to try to win and give her that kind of present. I'm going to send some nice presents, as well, nice surprises for her birthday party.
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"Hopefully the win can be something she can be happy with.
"But again, yeah, daddy away and daddy present is a big difference. I know that, but it is what it is this year."
The Serb faces an uphill battle to win the competition, given the form of both Sinner and Alcaraz.
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Sinner won the Australian Open, before Alcaraz fought back to claim a thrilling victory at Rolland Garros, and then the Italian got his revenge at Wimbledon.
Djokovic will likely take some encouragement from beating Alcaraz in their last match on a hard court in the Australian Open quarter-finals earlier this year.
But his record against Sinner makes for more difficult reading, with his last triumph over the Italian back in 2023.
Since then Sinner has won all five match-ups, including straight set victories in semi-finals at both the French Open and Wimbledon.
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Firstly Djokovic has to defeat home favourite Fritz, but the Serb has never lost to him in 10 matches.
The stars also met in the quarter-finals of last year's US Open, where Djokovic won in four sets.