US Open glory over birthday bash: Novak Djokovic says daughter not happy with clash

Novak Djokovic has had to make a difficult call. His daughter, Tara, turns eight on September 2 — the very day the 24-time Grand Slam champion is due on court for his US Open quarter-final against Taylor Fritz. Djokovic had originally planned to fly his family to New York so they could celebrate together, but those plans have now been shelved as the Serb remains firmly focused on his title bid.

Speaking after his straight-sets win over Jan-Lennard Struff, seventh seed Djokovic confirmed he would miss the birthday celebrations and admitted Tara was “not very happy” about it. With a wry smile, he asked reporters not to remind him of the clash, adding that he hopes to gift his daughter a victory instead.

Djokovic also promised Tara “lots of gifts.”

DAY 8 HIGHLIGHTS - US OPEN

“It is what it is. We had predicted it might happen. She is not very happy about me being absent from her birthday party. Don’t remind me of that, please,” Djokovic said.

“But I’ll try to win for her and give her that kind of present. I’ll send some nice presents as well. But hopefully the win can be something she can be happy with.”

Djokovic’s family has often been present in the stands for his Grand Slam matches. However, the Serb did not elaborate on why they would not be joining him this week in New York.

The world No.1 has also been marking his daughter’s passion at the US Open. His violin celebration — using his racquet to mimic the instrument — is a tribute to Tara, who has recently begun learning to play.

CAN DJOKOVIC GIFT HIS DAUGHTER A WIN?

On court, Djokovic faces a stern test against fourth seed Taylor Fritz, who defeated Tomas Machac in straight sets to power through to the quarter-finals. The Serb boasts a flawless 10-0 record against the top-ranked American, but Fritz arrives in strong form after semi-final runs at Wimbledon and the Toronto Masters, as well as finishing runner-up at last year’s US Open.

Djokovic, meanwhile, looked in complete control on Sunday in his fourth-round win over Struff. The German came in high on confidence after victories against Frances Tiafoe and Holger Rune, but was unable to impose himself against the top seed. Djokovic was clinical with his serve in a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory.

The 37-year-old has been out-serving some of the game’s biggest servers in New York this year. After posting an 86 per cent win rate on first serve against Cameron Norrie in the third round, Djokovic maintained close to 80 per cent against Struff, firing 12 aces and ensuring he did not spend unnecessary time on court ahead of sterner challenges.

“I just saw the stats — I out-served one of the guys that had the most aces during the tournament this year, so that’s a great stat. Obviously, that helps make my life easier on the court. Maybe I don’t need to work as hard, or unnecessarily more than I have to,” he said.

With the win over Struff, Djokovic became the oldest man to reach the quarter-finals of all four Grand Slams in a single season. It was also his 14th last-eight appearance at the US Open, moving him past Roger Federer and Andre Agassi on the all-time list.