NOVAK DJOKOVIC raged with the chair umpire about rowdy New Yorkers before he reached a record-extending 53rd major semi-final – and inflicted aN 11th straight win over Taylor Fritz.
The passionate Serbian – who says he wears his “heart on my sleeve” – booked his spot in the last four of the US Open with a hard-fought 6-3 7-5 3-6 6-4 triumph that took three hours and 24 minutes.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion celebrated the win at 11.36pm local time by pretending to drink tea and then dancing on court – a nod to the Soda Pop song by KPop Demon Hunters that his daughter Tara likes.
Yet in game four of set three, as he struggled with his serve, members of the crowd turned against him and the umpire Damien Dumusois repeatedly had to tell them, in a polite manner, to be silent.
The former world No1 was upset with those who were shouting out while he was about to serve or cheering and applauding his double faults and unforced errors.
The 38-year-old – who won this quarter-final on Tara’s eighth birthday – stopped mid-match and complained to Dumusois, asking why he was not doing more to try to quieten the numerous hecklers.
As the crowd booed, Djokovic walked over and then ranted: “Are you going to say something? Are you going to say something? What are you going to do? What are you going to do?
“Would you say ‘Thank you please, thank you please’? Can you explain a little bit more?’”
The umpire replied: “Stop shouting. Now if you play, I’m going to say something. It’s not going to help, though, Novak.”
Fritz, the last American man in the draw, took advantage of that dip in Djokovic’s focus as well as concentration and aced his way to the third set.
Yet the No4 seed could not find more aces in set four and he finished the match embarrassingly on his fifth double fault of the match.
Hollywood actors Elizabeth Banks, Rami Malek, Jason Clarke and Ben Stiller were probably willing this clash to go the distance, especially as Aryna Sabalenka’s match with Marketa Vondrousova had been axed after the Czech ace pulled out with a knee injury.
And those who had paid close to $10,000 for courtside tickets did not want this to end in four sets.
Only once before – against Jurgen Melzer at the 2010 French Open – had Djokovic lost a five-setter after winning the opening two sets.
Fritz, from California, had six break-point opportunities in the first set but could not convert them – how this could have been a different outcome if he had been successful – and once again he fell short in his match-ups with Djokovic.
Incredibly his coach was interviewed live on ESPN TV while the match was taking place.
Michael Russell, who has been with Fritz for several years, was critical of the American for not serving more aces, not making it physical and failing to take advantage of Djokovic’s age by extending the rallies.
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Fans joked online that Russell, who was clenching his fist towards Fritz during the chat, had more logos on his black T-shirt than a NASCAR driver.
For Djokovic, this was a “big present” for his daughter and he hoped she liked his dancing, which she will rate when she wakes up “with a smile” back in Europe.
Djokovic, who was seen stretching in his chair and putting his hands on his knees at the end due to tiredness, will now face Carlos Alcaraz – 16 years his junior – in Friday’s semi-finals as he chases Slam No25.
He said: “I don’t know how I won that. It was an incredibly close match.
‘Big present’ for Novak’s daughter
“I thought I was lucky to save some crucial break points in the second set. For most of the second set and third set, he was the better player.
“In this kind of match, a few points decide the winner. It was fortunately coming on my side at the end of the fourth.
“That last game was nerve-wracking. Honestly, a tough one for Taylor to finish with a double fault. He didn’t deserve that. A great fight and a great tournament for him for sure.
“I didn’t feel like I was dominating from the back of the court. In many of my service games, I was just trying to stay alive, fight for every ball.
“He was aggressive and stayed close to the line. Not easy to play. He has played some early good tennis this week. Look, at the end of the day a win matters. I am really proud of the fight I put in.
“I wear my heart on my sleeve always for this sport. I am still enjoying it.”
