Novak Djokovic celebrated a grueling four-set quarterfinal win over Taylor Fritz with a KPop celebration dance.
It caught many by surprise in the moment, but he later explained that it’s a dance his daughter taught him. Tara’s birthday is on Sept. 2 and so Djokovic said the win and the dance were a gift to her.
The dance was from a song titled ‘Soda Pop’ by Kpop Demon Hunters. The video has over 190 million views on YouTube.
Standing by for the score from Novak’s daughter 😍 pic.twitter.com/L5D7TPpDqH
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) September 3, 2025
Djokovic improved to 11-0 against Fritz, 14-0 in US Open quarterfinals and 16-0 against Americans at the US Open.
Fritz had plenty of chances in this match that ended 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in favor of the Serbian. He couldn’t convert any of his first 10 break point opportunities. The most puzzling moment came when he finally broke Djokovic for 5-5 in the second set, only to look very tight on his serve and concede a break right back.
It was an impressive effort to then rally and win the third set, but Djokovic locked down for the fourth. He is now the oldest US Open men’s semifinalist since
Djokovic will now have to find a way to dance around a red-hot Carlos Alcaraz for a place in the final.
Daughter Tara’s Birthday Highlights Djokovic’s Sacrifice
When Djokovic won the 2023 US Open for his 24th Grand Slam title, Tara was sitting close up absorbing every moment.
After the match, he went to her and shared a warm embrace. Now, Tara has just turned eight.
Djokovic was asked prior to the match against Fritz about the feelings of playing for another Major title while having to miss his daughter’s birthday.
“It is what it is, we predicted it might happen,” Djokovic said. “Yeah, she was not very happy about it, me being absent from the birthday party so don’t remind me of that, please. I’ll try to win if I’m here, at least I’m gonna try to win and give her that kind of present as well as send some nice presents home.
“A nice surprise for her birthday party but hopefully the win can be something she can be happy with. Daddy away and Daddy present is a big difference and I know that.”
