Novak Djokovic, the Serbian tennis icon, clinched his spot in the US Open quarterfinals. He defeated Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff, even while battling some nagging physical issues on court. This victory pushes Djokovic further in the year’s final major championship.
Djokovic is no stranger to success. He holds a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles and has lifted the US Open trophy four times before (in 2011, 2015, 2018, and 2023). On Sunday, he faced Struff, a qualifier ranked 144th in the world. Djokovic showed his class, winning in straight sets: 6-3, 6-3, 6-2.
The 38-year-old Serbian, currently ranked seventh globally, looked strong early on. He took a commanding 4-0 lead in the first set. Then, he started to feel discomfort in his neck. This led to him dropping two games in a row, a rare hiccup for the champion.
Yet, Djokovic quickly found his rhythm again. He overcame Struff for the eighth time in their head-to-head matches. This win also put him into a Grand Slam quarterfinal – one of the sport’s four biggest events – for an incredible 64th time. That’s a new record in tennis history.
Next up, Djokovic will face American Taylor Fritz. Fritz was the US Open runner-up in 2024 and is the last American man left in the draw. History favors Djokovic in this match-up. He has never lost to Fritz in their eight previous encounters.
Fritz earned his quarterfinal spot earlier on Sunday. He beat Tomas Machac of the Czech Republic, who is ranked 21st. Fritz won his match comfortably with scores of 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.
The 145th edition of the US Open will wrap up on September 7. Djokovic is pushing hard to claim his first Grand Slam trophy of this season. His last major victory came at the 2023 US Open.