In their ninth encounter, Djokovic faced a tougher challenge against American Fritz, whom he had previously defeated in all eight of their meetings. The top seed ultimately secured a 7-6 (3) 4-6 6-2 6-3 victory after an intense three hours and 45 minutes on the court.

The opening game alone extended for 16 minutes, and the first set took 84 minutes, as they battled under the heat on Rod Laver Arena. Fritz, aiming to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final in his third attempt, remarkably saved all 15 break points he faced in the initial two sets, impressively leveling the contest.

This marked only the third set that Fritz had won against the Serbian, the previous two occurring in a third-round clash in 2021 when Djokovic overcame an abdominal injury to win in five sets.

As Fritz began to feel discomfort in his left foot, Djokovic seized control in the third set, securing successive breaks in the fourth set and advancing to his record-extending 48th Grand Slam semi-final.

The outcome of the match aligned with the predictions of most experts, but three-time Wimbledon champion Becker admitted that he harbored concerns about Djokovic potentially faltering during the demanding opening two sets.

“After the second set, I had genuine worries about Novak, both in terms of his performance and his physical condition because he was breathing heavily,” Becker shared with Eurosport.

“In the ten minutes that Fritz spent in the dressing room, Novak managed to recover. When he secured the first break in the third set, I became confident that he would ultimately emerge victorious. It was a challenging effort, particularly considering the first set lasted over 90 minutes.”