WATCH: Novak Djokovic turns furious after fan calls ball 'out' in middle of rally during US Open QF clash against Taylor Fritz
Novak Djokovic did not need long to dispose Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals of the 2023 US Open on Tuesday, winning 6-1, 6-4, 6-4.
Towards the end of the third set, there was a small moment of controversy that would have unraveled most players. The set began with both players staying on serve until 2-2.
However, the World No. 1 broke serve before consolidating it to take a 4-2 lead. Fritz then held his next serve for 3-4 before Djokovic's following service game went to deuce.
In the middle of the next point, a fan loudly called the ball 'out' after the American had hit a lobbed return. The ball, though, was very much within the baseline. Djokovic, distracted by the call, had to scramble to retrieve it at the last moment after he realized that the shout was wrong and ended up losing the point a couple of exchanges later.
Here's the video of the play:
Furious, both with himself and the call, the 23-time Grand Slam champion let out a scream of disbelief looking at the stands, repeatedly pointing to his own head as if to place the blame partly on himself as well.
While the Serb went on to lose the game for 4-4, he broke immediately and held serve to close out the match. Up next, the World No. 2 will take on Ben Shelton in the semifinals.
Meanwhile, Fritz has now lost his eighth successive contest against Djokovic, with the American yet to register a win against the former World No. 1. All but one of their clashes have ended in straight sets, with the 2021 Australian Open being the only exception, which Djokovic won in five sets.
"It's important that we have American players doing well" - Novak Djokovic
Following his fourth-round win, Novak Djokovic had praised the depth of American tennis, including the likes of Tommy Paul, Fritz, Frances Tiafoe and Ben Shelton.
The Serb was particularly impressed by Shelton, who came from college tennis before making it big on the ATP Tour.
"Yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of excitement about Americans being so successful lately. Tiafoe played semis last year. Things are moving on. Tommy Paul faced me in semis of Australia this year," Novak Djokovic said.
"Yeah, I think it's great. It's great that Ben Shelton, for example, a player that came from college tennis, is playing on the highest level, producing some amazing tennis," he added.
The 23-time Grand Slam champion opined that it's important for tennis to have a lot of American players doing well, as it would help get recognition on the global level for the sport.
"I think it's a great message for all the players who want to go to college but then still keep on playing professionally. It proves that it is possible, which maybe up to 15, 20 years ago, it was completely different," Novak Djokovic said.
"I think the college tennis level has increased incredibly, and Ben is a great example of that. Yeah, I think it's great. It's great for attention towards the tennis, towards US Open. It's important that we have American players doing well," he added.