Novak Djokovic Says He Was 'Just Trying to Survive' in US Open Win vs. Taylor Fritz

After defeating fourth-seeded American Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the 2025 U.S. Open on Tuesday, Novak Djokovic admitted that it didn't come easy.

Per the Associated Press (h/t ESPN), the No. 7 seed said, "I was just trying to survive. It's one of those days where you just have to grind," on the heels of a 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, victory.

Djoker won the first two sets of Tuesday's match without much of an issue, and he appeared well on his way to improving his career record against Fritz to a perfect 11-0.

However, with the pro-American crowd behind him, Fritz battled back and won the third set 6-3 to extend the match.

Down 5-4 in the fourth, Fritz was on serve with a chance to keep the match going, but he double-faulted on Djokovic's third match point, handing Nole the win and a spot in the U.S. Open semifinal.

From the live crowd's perspective, Djokovic was undoubtedly the villain based purely on his opponent. The Serbian star played up to it as well, gesturing to the crowd on various occasions to further draw their ire.

Last year, Fritz reached the U.S. Open final where he fell to Jannik Sinner. He was looking to become the first American man to win the tournament since Andy Roddick in 2003.

However, with Fritz's elimination, there are no American men remaining in the field of this year's tournament.

By virtue of his win, Djokovic tied the all-time record by making it to a Grand Slam semifinal for the 53rd time in his career.

Although beating Fritz wasn't easy, his level of competition figures to get even tougher when he goes up against second-seeded Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.

Since the 38-year-old Djokovic last won a Grand Slam at the 2023 U.S. Open, the 22-year-old Alcaraz has won three Grand Slam titles.

Djokovic has won back-to-back meetings against Alcaraz and four of the past five, though, which suggests he has a legitimate shot to knock off the youngster and reach his 11th career U.S. Open final.