Novak Djokovic demolition triggers Taylor Fritz coach's brutal verdict: 'Atrocious' display at US Open

Taylor Fritz, who had reached his maiden Grand Slam final in New York last year, lost 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6 against Novak Djokovic in US Open quarterfinal

Taylor Fritz's coach, Michael Russell, was left raging after America's last hope in the men's singles draw succumbed at the US Open 2025 quarterfinals with a defeat to Novak Djokovic. The win not only helped the Serb make the semifinals, where he will be up against Carlos Alcaraz, but also improved to a stunning 11-0 record against the 27-year-old American.

Taylor Fritz talks to his corner while playing Novak Djokovic during their Men's Quarterfinal match on Day Ten of the 2025 US Open (Getty Images via AFP)

The No. 4 seed, who had reached his maiden Grand Slam final in New York last year, dropped just two sets en route to reaching the quarters. However, Djokovic once again proved too much for Fritz, losing 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 4-6.

Ahead of the match, Russell told Fritz to control the break points and make the most of the home crowd's support at Arthur Ashe Stadium. Fritz created 13 break-point opportunities, but seized only two of them, half of what Djokovic managed in nine chances.

Russell told ESPN: "The 5-5 game was atrocious. A donation. That's why we sent him off court (after the second set). He's giving Novak too much credit. Just stay in the rally and find a forehand to go after. A lot of it is psychological, he has lost to him 10 times, but it's the US Open - get the crowd involved and just relax."

Although the assessment did not sit well with viewers, Fritz spoke much on the same lines, as he was furious at himself for squandering the break point chances. He said: "The fact that I was 0-10, that's putting it nicely. I had so many more chances that you're not going to see on a stat line, because I had so many. I was in points at 0-30, 15-30, 30-30. I was just converting and playing these points just really poorly."

The 38-year-old, however, felt that Fritz had him under pressure for the greater part of the match, calling him "the better player." Despite Djokovic's remarks, Fritz admitted he had to win the big points, adding that great players never hand them over easily.

Fritz said: "At the end of the day, that's one of the things that makes the great players great. They win the big points, and that's something that I kind of touched on before the match. I'm going to need to go out and take those points from him. He's not just going to hand them over to me."