"I love Novak Djokovic too but I gotta go with my countryman" - Coco Gauff urges fans to support Taylor Fritz during his QF clash with the Serb

Coco Gauff has urged fans to support her compatriot Taylor Fritz during his quarterfinal clash with Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open.

On Tuesday, January 23, Gauff registered a hard-fought 7-6(6), 6-7(3), 6-2 win against Marta Kostyuk to reach the semifinals in Melbourne for the first time in her career.

After the match, the World No. 4 thanked the fans at the Rod Laver Arena for bringing out the American flag in large numbers to show their support for her. Gauff then urged the fans to stay to cheer for her countryman Fritz, who is scheduled to face the ATP World No. 1 on the same court next.

"Yeah, it was really great [to play in a packed stadium today]. To be out here, a lot of American flags. I think Taylor Fritz plays next, so hopefully you guys can stay and cheer for him. I know you guys love Novak in Australia. I love Novak too but I gotta go with my countryman. So hopefully those flags can stay out here for the next match," she said.

Djokovic's dominance Down Under has seen him amass a huge following. He has reached the quarterfinals at Melbourne Park a whopping 14 times and has won the title a record 10 times.

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"I can't really fault him for that" - Taylor Fritz aware of underdog status heading into Novak Djokovic clash

Novak Djokovic is a 24-time Grand Slam champion.

After reaching the quarterfinals at the 2024 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic expressed confidence in his abilities and said that he remains pretty sure of winning matches as long as he plays at his best.

He also said that he is finding form heading into the business end of the tournament and goes into his next clash with Taylor Fritz on an optimistic note thanks to his experience and his well-tuned recovery schedule.

When asked for his thoughts on the Serbian's statement, Fritz said that he is well aware of the fact that he has yet to win a match against Djokovic. In their eight meetings so far, seven of them were won by the 24-time Major winner in straight sets.

With those stats in mind, Fritz said that it was natural for Djokovic to feel confident heading into their ninth ATP tour meeting.

"I mean, if I beat someone eight times in a row, I'd be pretty confident playing them, too, I'd have to say. I can't really fault him for that," he said at a press conference.

That said, Fritz vowed to raise his level against the 36-year-old this time around.

"I think that I have a lot more level to bring than I've previously brought against him," he added.

The winner of their quarterfinal clash will face either either Jannik Sinner or Andrey Rublev in the semifinals.