- Novak Djokovic (ATP 3) beat Carlos Alcaraz 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 1, 6: 1 in the eagerly awaited French Open semi-final.
- The Spanish world number 1 suffers a right leg injury in the starting phase of the 3rd set. After that, Alcaraz is no longer competitive.
- In his 34th Grand Slam final, Djokovic meets Casper Ruud on Sunday.
For almost two and a half hours, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz offered the spectators in the stadium and in front of the screens tennis of the highest quality. Especially in the second round, the Serb and the Spaniard lifted each other to an unbelievable level.
Alcaraz does not give up
But just in the strongest phase of Alcaraz – shortly before the 20-year-old had deservedly managed to equalize the set – the game took a dramatic turn. In the 3rd set, when the score was 1-0, Alcaraz suddenly complained of cramps in several places after a return. The right leg in particular was on strike, and medical treatment did not bring any improvement.
It should be the beginning of the end for the reigning US Open champion, after which Alcaraz only managed to win the game 1: 5 in the 4th set. Shortly thereafter, Djokovic ended the suffering of his inconsolable opponent with the match point after 3:23 hours.
changing of the guard? Are you kidding me? Are you serious when you say that
Unfortunately, we’ll never know how the match would have turned out without the Spaniard’s injury. It is quite possible that Djokovic would have brought a physically fit Alcaraz to his knees. The Serb was the better player for more than one and a half sets, forced his opponent 16 years his junior and once again proved his dominance in the key moments.
Djokovic was also able to counter this when Alcaraz began to feel more comfortable on the Philippe Chatrier court in the middle of the 2nd set and increasingly dictated the points from the baseline. Physically, the 22-time major champion from Belgrade was in no way inferior to the Spanish shooting star, despite the big age difference. On the contrary: it should be Alcaraz’s body, which could no longer withstand the strain.
Grand Slam record within reach
This brings Djokovic a big step closer to the next milestone: If he also wins the final on Sunday, the Serb would be the sole record holder of Grand Slam titles for the first time. Djokovic currently shares the record with the injured Rafael Nadal (22 titles each). Another number is no less impressive: The French Open 2023 is the 70th major tournament for Djokovic, at Roland Garros he has now reached his 34th Grand Slam final.
On the way to title number 23 and also to return to the top of the world rankings, Djokovic can only stop Casper Ruud. The Norwegian didn’t give Alexander Zverev a chance and reached the final at the Porte d’Auteuil for the second time in a row.