Angry Novak Djokovic shut down by umpire after rowing with US Open fans

Novak Djokovic's grievances were brushed aside by the umpire as the Serbian moaned about the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd in his victory over Taylor Fritz at the US Open. It was during the quarter-final clash with home favourite Fritz that Djokovic found himself at odds with fans.

He embraced his role as the pantomime villain heading into the encounter, and was spotted blowing kisses and gesturing for silence after winning points in the second set. Djokovic is no stranger to controversy at Flushing Meadows, having been disqualified back in 2020. During the third set, chants of "let's go Taylor" erupted between points whilst supporters also bellowed their backing for the 27-year-old, which seemed to irk Djokovic, who is aiming for his 25th Grand Slam title.

The Serbian stormed over to the umpire and demanded to know if he planned to take action whilst he was attempting to serve. Following a brief explanation of the standard announcements he made before both players' serves throughout the match, the umpire simply responded with a five-word snub, saying: "It's not gonna help, Novak."

Whilst the crowd was initially divided between Djokovic and Fritz, the American appeared to galvanise his fans as the match progressed. The momentum began to swing too, with Fritz's points earning increasingly louder cheers with each shot whilst Djokovic, who had seemed to savour playing the bad guy, started to fade.

This is precisely what the American, who was pursuing his maiden Grand Slam crown, had hoped for. After his round of 16 triumph over Tomas Machac, Fritz was questioned about witnessing other US contenders exit early – and he reckoned it handed him an advantage as he would become the singular focus of American optimism and support.

"I mean, I guess it's like it can be a good thing for me," Fritz said. "Hopefully, the crowd is really going to get behind me now because I am the last guy."

However, the Serbian persevered and stretched his commanding record over Fritz to 11 victories without defeat, securing his spot in the US Open semi-finals for the 14th occasion in his illustrious career. Djokovic remarkably rescued 10 of the initial 11 break points he encountered and frustrated the fourth seed during the crucial moments.

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Fritz looked poised to mount a comeback after rescuing two match points, but when Djokovic created a third opportunity, he hit a double fault, allowing the 38-year-old to complete a 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 victory.

Afterwards, the Serbian icon was in a reflective mood and praised Fritz. "It was an incredibly close match, it was really anybody's match," he said. "I think for most of the second and third sets he was the better player."

Djokovic will now meet Carlos Alcaraz in the US Open semi-final on Friday, September 5.