"Crazy" - Taylor Fritz in awe of Novak Djokovic showing he's 'better than everyone else' as Serb hunts for Slam No. 25 at US Open
American tennis player Taylor Fritz recently praised Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam success ahead of his US Open campaign. The Serb will aim to secure his 25th Grand Slam title in the Flushing Meadows.
Novak Djokovic is regarded as one of the greatest players of the Open Era, having won 24 Grand Slam titles. Although the 37-year-old enjoyed a dominant season last year, securing three Major titles, he couldn't win a tour title this season.
However, Djokovic recently claimed his maiden Olympic gold by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final, filling the last gap in his trophy cabinet. After the Paris Olympics, the Serb skipped the lead-up events to the US Open and now aims for his 25th Grand Slam title in New York.
During the US Open pre-tournament press conference, Taylor Fritz was asked for his thoughts on Djokovic chasing his 25th Major title while many players still seek their first. In response, the American first praised Djokovic's consistency, in winning 24 Grand Slams. Fritz emphasized how the Serb's level of play far exceeds that of other players striving for their first titles.
"Yeah, it's crazy to win that many, you know, and be that consistently just good. Like your just baseline average level just has to be so much better than everyone else's. You know, it speaks to how much better someone is than everyone else. Because there are so many people just trying to get that one, trying to get one or two, a couple," Fritz said.
Fritz further praised Djokovic's discipline and hunger for success, claiming that his relentless drive to always achieve more was "impressive".
Yeah, it's amazing, and obviously the discipline throughout the year is to never be satisfied and always want more is also just extremely impressive in itself," he added.
The US Open draw was released on Thursday, August 22, with Novak Djokovic being seeded second in the tournament.
Novak Djokovic cut short his training session with Holger Rune ahead of his US Open Campaign
Novak Djokovic will start his US Open 2024 campaign on Monday, August 26. He will face the Moldovan qualifier Radu Albot in the first round, marking their first encounter ever.
Ahead of his campaign, Djokovic initially indulged in a practice session with Holger Rune and was set for another session with the Dane at Arthur Ashe Stadium. However, the 37-year-old missed the session, reportedly due to some discomfort.
Although Djokovic's team informed Rune's camp that the Serb would join the practice after receiving treatment, he did not show up. It remains to be seen if this issue could impact the 24-time Grand Slam champion's US Open campaign.