"Disgusting that Novak Djokovic is playing a day match twice in a row", "Not fair" - Fans upset with Serb's Australian Open QF scheduling

Several tennis fans were far from pleased with the scheduling of Novak Djokovic's Australian Open quarterfinal against Taylor Fritz.

The Serb booked his place in the last eight of the tournament with a crushing 6-0, 6-0, 6-3 win over Adrian Mannarino in the Round of 16. Here, he will be up against 12th seed Taylor Fritz, who reached his maiden Australian Open quarterfinal after registering a 7-6(3), 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win over last year's runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Djokovic's match against Fritz will not start before 2:30 pm local time on the Rod Laver Arena, which is a very hot period of the day. This will be his second consecutive day-session match after playing each of his first three matches in the night.

Several fans voiced their displeasure on the Serb playing his second successive match in the Melbourne heat, with one calling the whole situation "disgusting", adding that he was being "trolled" when it mattered most.

"I think it's disgusting that Novak is playing a day match twice in a row. They could have schedule one of his earlier matches during the day, but why not troll him when it matters most," the fan's tweet read.

One fan said that it was not fair for the 36-year-old to play during the hottest time of the day.

"Match starts at 2:30pm hottest time of the day for a 36 year old veteran. Not fair @AustralianOpen," the fan's tweet read.

Another fan took a dig at the Australian Open organizers for the timing of Djokovic's match.

"10 time #AustralianOpen champion. #1 versus #12 in the rankings/seedings. 36 year old champion, a.k.a. The GOAT. Hottest day of the tournament & hottest time of day. Many thanks @AustralianOpen - carry on smartly," the fan's tweet read.

Here are some more fan reactions to the Serb's quarterfinal schedule:

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Novak Djokovic has an 8-0 head-to-head record against Taylor Fritz

The Serb and Taylor Fritz after their match at the 2023 US Open

Novak Djokovic has a perfect record against Taylor Fritz so far, winning each of their eight prior meetings.

The first encounter between the two came in the third round of the 2019 Monte-Carlo Masters, with the Serb winning 6-3, 6-0. Interestingly, the most closely-contested match between the two, and the only one that did not end in straight sets, came in the third round of the 2021 Australian Open, with the 24-time Grand Slam champion winning 7-6(1), 6-4, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2.

The two locked horns in two quarterfinals at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati and the US Open in 2023, with Djokovic winning 6-0, 6-4 and 6-1, 6-4, 6-4 respectively.