Novak Djokovic overcame a fall and stymied a comeback attempt by American Taylor Fritz to move into the fourth round at the Australian Open.
The top-ranked Djokovic continued his bid for a ninth championship at Melbourne Park and 18th Grand Slam title overall by winning 7-6 (1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2 at Rod Laver Arena, which was empty by the end.
Djokovic doesn’t know if he will be able to play his next match at the Australian Open. The defending champion said he has a torn muscle after taking a fall and doesn’t know if two days will be enough time to recover.
“I’m very proud of this achievement tonight,” Djokovic said. “Let’s see what happens.”
The match began with spectators present, but they were forced to leave the stadium a little past 11:30 p.m. because a local COVID-19 lockdown began at midnight. No fans will be allowed at the tournament for at least five days due to a growing coronavirus cluster in the city’s outer suburbs.
Djokovic seemed to be cruising along to a 17th consecutive win against a U.S. opponent after taking the first two sets.
But his left foot gave out from under him as he tried to change directions early in the third set. Djokovic took a medical timeout for treatment on his side and later was visited by a trainer during changeovers.
The 27th-seeded Fritz got back into the match but couldn’t pull off the upset as Djokovic eventually seemed to be feeling better and able to move and play more like himself.