French Open 2023: Djokovic defeats ailing Alcaraz to enter finals; says 'great respect' for World No.1 (WATCH)
Two-time French Open champion Novak Djokovic booked his 34th Grand Slam final berth following a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win over World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, who suffered from cramps during their semi-finals clash at Roland Garros on Friday.
FollowTwo-time French Open champion 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 World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 during their semi-final clash at the Philippe-Chatrier court.
In the generational match, the 36-year-old Serbian started strong, dragging the 20-year-old Spaniard about with powerful and reliable groundstrokes to take the opening set.
At the beginning of the third set, after Alcaraz had tied the score, he began to have cramping in his right calf. He lost his service game at a tie score in order to advance to a changeover and receive treatment from an ATP physiotherapist. Due to his inability to chase after strokes and drive through the ball, the Spaniard, who missed the Australian Open this year due to a leg injury, saw Djokovic retake the lead. After three hours and 23 minutes, the third seed defeated Alcaraz in the fourth set with ease to progress.
“First and foremost I have to say tough luck for Carlos,” said Djokovic in his on-court interview. “Obviously at this level the last thing you want is cramp and physical problems at the late stages of a Grand Slam. So I feel for him, I feel sorry. I hope he can recover and he can come back very soon. I told him at the net. He knows how young he is. He’s got plenty of time ahead of him, so he’s going to win this tournament I’m sure many man times. He’s an unbelievable player, an incredible competitor and a very nice guy, so he deserves all the applause and all the support," Djokovic added after sealing his 34th Grand Slam finals berth.
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 grand finale.
The second-oldest finalist in tournament history (since 1925) is the two-time Roland Garros champion Djokovic, who is currently competing in his eighth major championship.
Alcaraz, who is sixteen years younger than him, is the first man to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros since Djokovic, who was 20 years old at the time, did so in 2007. The top seed won his first major championship at the US Open last year, but he won't add to his total in Paris because of physical exhaustion from trying to keep up with Djokovic during Friday's semifinal.
“It’s tough. Obviously for him to not know whether he should retire [from] the match or finish the match the way he did," Djokovic said. "Congratulations to him for his fighting spirit and hanging in all the way until the last point. Respect for that, great respect."
“I think we were both at the physical limit towards the end of the second set. I wasn’t feeling fresh at all. We went toe to toe. I think it was a quite even match, one-set-all, and then this thing happened with his cramp in the third game of the third set and from that moment onwards it was a different match. Obviously I just tried to stay focused, to stay present, and I saw that he was struggling, but I obviously didn’t want to think too much about what was going on the opposite side of the net. Again, respect for hm and I hope he comes back very quickly," the Serbian added.
