"Novak Djokovic is obviously the person to beat" - Taylor Fritz lauds Serb as US Open 2023 favorite talks heat up

Ahead of the 2023 US Open, World No. 9 Taylor Fritz has stated that Novak Djokovic will be the "person to beat" at the New York Major.

Fritz has faced Djokovic seven times in his career, losing all seven of those matches. Other than the 2021 Australian Open Round of 32 where they competed in a thrilling five-setter, the Serb has won all of their encounters in straight sets.

Most recently, Djokovic dispatched the American in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati 6-0, 6-4, en route to a record-extending 39th Masters title.

During his pre-tournament press conference at the US Open, Fritz was asked about that match and whether he sensed how much it meant to Djokovic to be back in the US after two years.

"Obviously he's back in the States for the first time in a bit. He definitely wants to prove himself and win the big titles. That final was crazy. I felt like his ball was coming off pretty big. I wished that I could have played a little bit better in that match. But I felt like his ball was really coming through the court," Fritz said.

Talking about Djokovic's chances to win the fourth US Open of his career, which would be his 24th Grand Slam trophy overall, Fritz said:

"Yeah, I mean, he's Novak. He's always performing well. He's always locked in. He's obviously the person to beat this week."

Taylor Fritz will face Steve Johnson in the first round of the US Open. It will be their seventh head-to-head matchup, with Fritz currently leading 4-2.

"We've played each other a lot. We know each other well. Yeah, it will be like a fun, fun match. We used to play each other a lot back in, like, I don't even know, a couple of years ago. It's been a while. It's going to be kind of like a throwback match almost," Fritz added.

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Novak Djokovic to play against Alexandre Muller in the first round of the 2023 US Open

Novak Djokovic in Cincinnati

Novak Djokovic will face Frenchman Alexandre Muller for the first time in the first round of the 2023 US Open.

Djokovic is coming to New York after winning the 39th Masters title of his career in Cincinnati, where he defeated World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in the final, 5-7, 7-6(7), 7-6(4).

The 26-year-old Muller, currently ranked 85th in the ATP rankings, will enter the US Open on the back of six consecutive losses, most recently falling to Benjamin Bonzi 4-6, 4-6, in the first round of the Winston-Salem Open.

Djokovic is aiming to win the fourth US Open title of his career, which would be his first since 2018 when he defeated Juan Martin del Potro in the final, 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-3. Djokovic and Muller will play on Monday, August 28.