Novak Djokovic explained the reason behind his goofy celebratory dance after defeating Taylor Fritz at the 2025 US Open. The Serb’s daughter Tara was the inspiration, and the dance was a gift for her eighth birthday.
On Tuesday, September 2, Tara turned eight, but her father, 24-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic, could not be with her as he was on a quest to win the 25th. He took on Fritz in the quarterfinal and got the better of the American favorite 6-3, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 to advance into the semis.
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After earning the win, Djokovic danced on the court in celebration. During his post-match interview, he explained the inspiration behind it:
"It’s my daughter’s birthday, so this is a big present for her. Actually, the dance, in the end, she’s gonna rate me tomorrow. Because she told me how to dance. It's a K-pop Demon Hunters. Soda Pop is the name of the song."
The Serb revealed that it was a "big thing" for kids and teenagers around the world, and he had practiced the dance with his daughter.
"My daughter told me a few months ago about it. So we are at home doing different choreographies, and this is one of them, so hopefully, I'll make her smile when she wakes up tomorrow morning," he added.
Before the match, Djokovic admitted he was disappointed about missing his daughter Tara’s eighth birthday. However, he said he wanted to gift her a win in the quarterfinal, and he delivered.
Novak Djokovic believes US Open QF against Taylor Fritz was "anybody's match" and he was "lucky"
Novak Djokovic believes his 2025 US Open quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz was an extremely close match. The American top seed missed multiple opportunities to break the Serb in the second set, which could have changed the outlook of the match.
"Incredibly close match," Djokovic said in his on-court interview (via ATPTour.com). "It was really anybody's match. I thought I was lucky to save some crucial break points in the second set. I think for most of the second and third set, he was a better player. In these kind of matches, a few points decide the winner."
With this win, the Serb sets up a semifinal clash against Carlos Alcaraz. The young Spaniard is yet to drop a set at the US Open and claimed a clinical 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 victory over 20th seed Jiri Lehecka in the quarters.
This will be the ninth encounter between Alcaraz and Djokovic, with the Serb leading their head-to-head 5-3. Their last encounter took place earlier in the year, with the 38-year-old claiming victory in the Australian Open quarterfinal.
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