Novak Djokovic and
Taylor Fritz will compete in the third-round encounter on Rod Laver Arena on Friday night, battling for the place in the last 16.
Fritz will compete in the third round at Melbourne Park for the third straight year, suffering losses to Roger Federer and Dominic Thiem in the previous two years, challenging the Austrian for almost three hours before falling in four sets.
"It's a Novak Djokovic clash at the
Australian Open. But for me, I'm just going to have to play my best tennis. Luckily for me and my game, I possess the ability to serve well enough to where I won't get broken, and I can be extremely aggressive on the groundstrokes and take control if I'm on. I have to do everything I possibly can in the next couple of days to give myself the best chance of playing my best tennis.
It's another chance to prove myself. I keep making third rounds and having tough opponents, but that's what happens when you are a 25 to 32 seed. You are guaranteed to play a top-eight player. This is my third year in a row in the third round here in Melbourne, and my third round opponents have been Roger, Dominic and now Novak. It's just another chance to prove myself. I've got nothing to lose, and I'm going to go out and have a lot of fun and play aggressive tennis and see what I can do," Taylor Fritz said.