Unfit Novak Djokovic Pulls Through Taylor Fritz Test at Australian Open 2021

On 12th February, Novak Djokovic faced off against Taylor Fritz. Considering that Novak beat him very easily in their previous two encounters, many expected an easy for the Serb. However, the match turned out to be a five-setter won by Novak 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2.

Novak Djokovic vs Taylor Fritz: First two Sets

The first set of the match was very competitive. Both players were serving incredibly well and held most of their service games. This led to a tiebreaker which was completely dominated by Djokovic who won it 7-1 for a great start to the match.

Moving into the second set, Novak secured an early break to lead 2-0. He did not let this advantage go and he won the set 6-4 to take a 2 sets to love lead. The pressure was all on Fritz at this point.

Third and Fourth Sets

The next 2 sets of the match were important for Fritz, which is why he brought out his best tennis. In the third set, he secured a crucial break at 4-3 to serve for the set. He closed it out very easily and this started an incredible comeback by Fritz.

Moving into the fourth set, Novak wasn’t feeling his best physically, and hence, Fritz was able to break him very early in the set. Like the third set, he did not let go of this advantage and he ended up winning it 6-4 to level the match.

The Fifth Set

The fifth was a crucial one and both players were putting all of their efforts into it. However, a slight drop in Fritz’s level gave Novak a break to lead 4-2. He went on to break him again to seal the final set 6-2.

While Djokovic was able to win this match, it was not a good sign for him. He was not at his best physically and hopefully, it is nothing very serious.