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The terms were set early and they were demanding. The first game lasted 16 minutes and 24 points and Fritz had to survive three break points before at last he held serve.
This would be titanic.
While the sun was high, Djkovic appeared bothered. He plays few day matches, remember, and fewer on days like this.
Novak Djokovic plays few day matches.Credit: Getty
Ice towels lowered his temperature, but not his temper; when he discovered an item missing from his bag late in the set, he howled at his box.
Over the course of the set, Djokovic fashioned eight breaks points against the Fritz serve, but uncharacteristically failed to take any. Only two days ago, he was saying that break points were why he got out of bed in the morning.
That is, tennis’s pointy end.
He also laboured his own serve, landing it at less than 40 percent until the last two games. It says much about his courtcraft that despite this, Fritz did not create a break point of his own until the 12th game.
Either of two would have given him the set then, but he could not exploit the chance.
On the first point of the tie-breaker, Fritz hit an open court smash way long. He’d played the reputation, not the ball. He never got it back.
Taylor Fritz.Credit: Getty
