Novak Djokovic moved to within one win of capturing a record 23rd major crown on Friday at Roland Garros, where he moved past an ailing Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1.
The 36-year-old Serbian came out firing in the generational battle on Court Philippe-Chatrier, pulling the 20-year-old Spaniard around with destructive and consistent groundstrokes to win the first set.
After Alcaraz levelled the match, he started to cramp in the right calf at the start of the third set, and forfeited his service game at 1-1 so he could fast-forward to a changeover and be treated by an ATP physio. The Spaniard, who missed the Australian Open this year due to a leg injury, was unable to chase down shots and drive through shots, with Djokovic moving back ahead. The third seed then soared through the fourth set against Alcaraz to advance after three hours and 23 minutes.
[BREAK POINT]
Meeting for the first time this season, Alcaraz and Djokovic have waged a neck-and-neck battle in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2023, trading the top spot four times. Following 26th win of the season, Djokovic will surpass Alcaraz and return to World No. 1 if he defeats Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.
The two-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic, who is into his seventh championship at the major, is the second-oldest finalist in tournament history (since 1925).
Sixteen years his junior, Alcaraz was the youngest man to advance to the semi-finals at Roland Garros since a then-20-year-old Djokovic did in 2007. The top seed captured his maiden major title at the US Open last year, but will not add to his tally in Paris after he struggled physically to stay with Djokovic during Friday’s semi-final.
Djokovic was locked in from ball one in Friday's encounter. He struck his groundstrokes through the court with depth, while he moved forward consistently, closing the net 13 times in the set to pressure Alcaraz. After breaking in the fourth game, the Serbian fended off three break points in a mammoth game at 4-2 as Alcaraz began to find rhythm from the baseline. The top seed then held serve to lead.
At 1-1 in the second set, Alcaraz demonstrated his all-court game to full effect. He showcased great speed and touch to chase down a Djokovic drop shot, before retrieving to the baseline to hit fire a squash like behind the body forehand winner, drawing applause from the Serbian.
Alcaraz started to dig in during the baseline exchanges, playing with high intensity as his power began to force Djokovic, who received a medical timeout in the set, to overhit. However, from 5-3, the Spaniard squandered three set points as Djokovic found first serves and an array of stunning angles to pull Alcaraz around.
Alcaraz then began to cramp in the third set and had to forfeit his service game at 1-1 to receive treatment. The 20-year-old continued but was unable to chase down shots, losing the set to trail once again.
The Spaniard went for a toilet break at the end of the third set to try and find a second wind. He had two break points on Djokovic's serve at the start of the set but was unable to take them and from there, the Serbian ruthlessly raced clear. He limited errors off the ground and forced the tiring Alcaraz around the court with his variety of spins to improve to 1-1 i their ATP Head2Head series.
Did You Know?
Djokovic now holds a 80-4 record when claiming the first set at Roland Garros, winning 35 in a row. His last loss after clinching the opener came in the 2015 final against Stan Wawrinka.
The 36-year-old Serbian came out firing in the generational battle on Court Philippe-Chatrier, pulling the 20-year-old Spaniard around with destructive and consistent groundstrokes to win the first set.
After Alcaraz levelled the match, he started to cramp in the right calf at the start of the third set, and forfeited his service game at 1-1 so he could fast-forward to a changeover and be treated by an ATP physio. The Spaniard, who missed the Australian Open this year due to a leg injury, was unable to chase down shots and drive through shots, with Djokovic moving back ahead. The third seed then soared through the fourth set against Alcaraz to advance after three hours and 23 minutes.
[BREAK POINT]
Meeting for the first time this season, Alcaraz and Djokovic have waged a neck-and-neck battle in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2023, trading the top spot four times. Following 26th win of the season, Djokovic will surpass Alcaraz and return to World No. 1 if he defeats Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.
The two-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic, who is into his seventh championship at the major, is the second-oldest finalist in tournament history (since 1925).
Sixteen years his junior, Alcaraz was the youngest man to advance to the semi-finals at Roland Garros since a then-20-year-old Djokovic did in 2007. The top seed captured his maiden major title at the US Open last year, but will not add to his tally in Paris after he struggled physically to stay with Djokovic during Friday’s semi-final.
Set One, Djokovic 6-3 Alcaraz
Djokovic was locked in from ball one in Friday's encounter. He struck his groundstrokes through the court with depth, while he moved forward consistently, closing the net 13 times in the set to pressure Alcaraz. After breaking in the fourth game, the Serbian fended off three break points in a mammoth game at 4-2 as Alcaraz began to find rhythm from the baseline. The top seed then held serve to lead.
Set Two, Alcaraz 7-5 Djokovic
At 1-1 in the second set, Alcaraz demonstrated his all-court game to full effect. He showcased great speed and touch to chase down a Djokovic drop shot, before retrieving to the baseline to hit fire a squash like behind the body forehand winner, drawing applause from the Serbian.
Alcaraz started to dig in during the baseline exchanges, playing with high intensity as his power began to force Djokovic, who received a medical timeout in the set, to overhit. However, from 5-3, the Spaniard squandered three set points as Djokovic found first serves and an array of stunning angles to pull Alcaraz around.
Set Three, Djokovic 6-1 Alcaraz
Alcaraz then began to cramp in the third set and had to forfeit his service game at 1-1 to receive treatment. The 20-year-old continued but was unable to chase down shots, losing the set to trail once again.
Set Four, Djokovic 6-1 Alcaraz
The Spaniard went for a toilet break at the end of the third set to try and find a second wind. He had two break points on Djokovic's serve at the start of the set but was unable to take them and from there, the Serbian ruthlessly raced clear. He limited errors off the ground and forced the tiring Alcaraz around the court with his variety of spins to improve to 1-1 i their ATP Head2Head series.
Did You Know?
Djokovic now holds a 80-4 record when claiming the first set at Roland Garros, winning 35 in a row. His last loss after clinching the opener came in the 2015 final against Stan Wawrinka.