Taylor Fritz lost a tough semi-final against Novak Djokovic on Saturday at the ATP Finals in Turin. There was a nasty episode during a critical point when Taylor was leading 5-4 and serving for the second set. The pair was on a 30-all scoreline; Taylor had a rather comfortable backhand that he could easily put away down the line when Djokovic was already heading on the other side of court. A fan screamed right before the American player hit the ball. The result was that Taylor crashed the ball into the net, gifting Djokovic of a break point that was converted as soon after. That completely changed the course of the match.
This was tough 😳
There was drama as Taylor Fritz looked to serve out the second set against Djokovic…#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/6HFMJdQFBe
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 19, 2022
‘It’s an absolute shock’
During the press conference that followed the match, Taylor Fritz revealed that he was shocked by that scream.
“You get used to playing in absolute silence your whole career. It’s normal that the crowd maybe makes a noise when there’s a crazy point going on. You expect it, you’re ready for it. But someone just, like, flat-out screaming to purposely try to throw you off; it’s not something you’re ever used to. When it happens, it’s an absolute shock. It’s disgusting then,” said Fritz.
Taylor Fritz in 2022
At the moment ranked no.9, Fritz played his last match on the 19th of November when he capitulated to world no.8 Novak Djokovic 7-6(5) 7-6(6) in the semifinal in the Nitto ATP Finals (draw).
This season Fritz has a 45-21 record. The American conquered 3 titles in 2022 in Indian Wells, Eastbourne and Tokyo.
Djokovic in the Nitto ATP Finals, ranking, and results in 2022
At the moment ranked no.8, the Serbian has achieved a 41-7 win-loss record in 2022. Novak ended his run in the round-robin after defeating Taylor Fritz 7-65 7-66.
Novak conquered 4 titles in 2022 in Rome, in Wimbledon, in Tel Aviv and in Astana. Djokovic reached the final in Belgrade (Serbia Open) and in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters).
The Serbian won 90 titles in his career: 48 on hard courts, 18 on clay courts, 16 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Taylor Fritz and Novak Djokovic fought against each other 6 times. The head to head is 6-0 for Djokovic. Before, the last time they competed against each other, Novak Djokovic won 7-6(5) 7-6(6) in the semifinal in Turin (Nitto ATP Finals) on the 19th of November 2022.
Here are the highlights.
