Novak Djokovic overtakes Roger Federer for major milestone at US Open

Tennis News
Wednesday, 06 September 2023 at 10:59
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Novak Djokovic has overtaken Roger Federer to become the player with the most semi-final appearances at a Grand Slam in the Open Era after he defeated Taylor Fritz at the US Open.
23-time major champion Djokovic now has another Slam milestone to add to his impressive list of records. The Serb ousted home player Fritz in the quarter-finals at Flushing Meadows,
Djokovic took the first set with ease, dropping just one game. He then fought back after being broken in the second set, and ultimately went on to win the match in straight sets 6-1, 6-4, 6-4. This means that he has extended his perfect quarter-final record at the US Open to 13-0, and his head-to-head against Fritz to 8-0.

Djokovic achieves semi-final milestone

In doing so, Djokovic has also increased his appearances at Grand Slam semi-finals to 47, meaning he has overtaken fellow Big Three member Federer, who retired last year. The 36-year-old saw himself equal the Swiss player's record of 46 semi-finals at Wimbledon in July, where he finished runner-up after engaging in a five-set battle against Carlos Alcaraz.
Federer's last semi-final appearance was at the 2020 Australian Open, where he lost to eventual champion Djokovic in straight sets.
Djokovic's record in the semi-finals of majors is also equally impressive - he has a perfect 10-0 record at the Australian Open, 7-5 at the French Open, 9-3 at the US Open and 9-3 at Wimbledon.
In third place is Rafael Nadal, who has reached 38 semi-finals throughout his career. The Spaniard is currently absent due to injury but is planning to return in 2024 before a possible retirement.
Djokovic will now be preparing to face Ben Shelton in the semi-finals of the US Open. The young American defeated his compatriot and tenth seed Frances Tiafoe to make his first major semi-final.
The two players have never faced each other before, and the American crowd will be firmly behind their home player. However, this didn't deter Djokovic at all in his match against Fritz, and his experience means many are predicting he will make his 36th Grand Slam final.

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