Today at the French Open is the men’s semi-finals day and will see the resumption of the rivalry between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
Despite the various achievements of both players, it will only be the second time they have locked horns on the Tour. Their first meeting took place at the 2022 Madrid Masters where Alcaraz prevailed 6-7(5), 7-6, 7-6(5), in a scintillating encounter. Between them, they have won the last three Grand Slams with Djokovic triumphing at Wimbledon last year and the Australian Open in January. Meanwhile, Alcaraz won his maiden major trophy at the US Open.
“It’s definitely the biggest challenge for me so far in the tournament. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best,” Djokovic said ahead of the semi-final. “He’s (Alcaraz) the guy to beat here. I’m looking forward to that.”
Alcaraz, who missed the Australian Open due to injury, is currently on a 12-match winning streak at major events. At this year’s French Open specifically, he has won 15 out of 16 sets played with the only player to have taken a set off him being Taro Daniel in the second round. Coincidentally, Djokovic has also won 15 out of 16 sets played with Karen Khachanov being the only person to have taken a set off him.
“The match we played last year doesn’t affect this one too much,” Alcaraz commented. “It was one year ago. I would say both learned a lot from that match, so it’s gonna be totally different.”
Experience could potentially play a factor in the upcoming clash with there being a 16-year age gap between the two players. Should the showdown go the full distance, both players have impressive records in best-of-five matches. Despite his young age, Alcaraz has won eight out of nine of these matches. Meanwhile, Djokovic has a 37-10 winning record.
Ahead of the showdown, here are three other things to look out for.
- Grand Slam glory is one of many things at stake for both men in Paris this year. The winner of their semi-final meeting will also secure their position as world No.1 on Monday. Alcaraz currently holds the top spot after overtaking Djokovic on May 22nd. Should Djokovic prevail, it will be the ninth time the Serbian has become world No.1 in his career. He has already held that position for 387 weeks which is more than any other player in the history of the ATP Pepperstone rankings.
- At 20, Alcaraz is the youngest French Open men’s semi-finalist since 2007. Should he beat Djokovic, the Spaniard would become the youngest finalist since compatriot Rafael Nadal in 2006. Furthermore, if Alcaraz wins this year’s tournament, he will become the youngest player in 40 years to have won different Grand Slam titles. Mats Wilander won the 1982 French Open aged 17 and the 1983 Australian Open at 19.
- Djokovic is also chasing after a series of milestones. Besides targeting a historic 23rd major title at Roland Garros, he can become the first male tennis player in history to have won each of the Grand Slam tournaments three times if he triumphs in Paris. He would also become the oldest French Open men’s singles champion in history at the age of 36 years and 20 days.
Djokovic’s clash with Carlos Alcaraz is scheduled to begin at 13:45 GMT on court Phillippe Chatrier.
