Novak Djokovic Closer to Winning His 23rd Grand Slam Title

Novak Djokovic has moved within one win of a record 23rd major title on Friday at Roland Garros, defeating an ailing Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1. Alcaraz and Djokovic traded blows in the first two sets, displaying outstanding agility and mobility in a high-quality and intriguing opening set.

In the generational clash on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the 36-year-old Serbian came out hot, tugging the 20-year-old Spaniard about with damaging and consistent groundstrokes to win the opening set.

After tying the match, Alcaraz began to cramp in his right calf at the start of the third set, and he surrendered his service game at 1-1 so he could skip to a changeover and be treated by an ATP physio. The Spaniard, who missed the Australian Open due to a leg injury this year, was unable to chase after strokes and drive into the ball, allowing Djokovic to reclaim the lead. After three hours and 23 minutes, the third seed flew through the fourth set against Alcaraz to progress.

“First and foremost, I have to say good luck to Carlos,” Novak Djokovic said during his on-court interview. “Obviously, at this level, the last thing you want in the late stages of a Grand Slam is cramp and physical problems.” So I feel for him and pity him. I’m hoping he’ll be able to recover and return soon.

“I told him over the internet. He is aware of his youth. He has plenty of time ahead of him, therefore he will undoubtedly win this competition many times. He’s a tremendous player, a fantastic competitor, and a very kind guy, so he deserves all of the applause and support.”

Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic, who met for the first time this season, have been neck-and-neck in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in 2023, trading the top spot four times. Novak Djokovic will surpass Alcaraz and reclaim the World No. 1 ranking if he defeats Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic, the two-time Roland Garros champion, is the tournament’s second-oldest finalist (since 1925). He is in his 34th major championship match and eighth in his last eight majors.

Sixteen years his junior, Alcaraz was the youngest man to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals since a then-20-year-old Djokovic did in 2007. The top seed won his first major trophy at the US Open last year, but he will not add to his score in Paris after physically struggling to keep up with Djokovic throughout Friday’s semi-final.

“It’s difficult. “Obviously, he didn’t know whether he should retire [from] the match or finish it the way he did,” Djokovic explained. “Congratulations to him for his fighting spirit and perseverance all the way to the end.” That deserves a lot of respect.

“I believe we were both at our physical limits near the end of the second set.” I wasn’t feeling very energised. We faced each other. I believe it was a one-set-all battle until his cramp happened in the third game of the third set, and it was a whole different match from then on.

Obviously, I just wanted to stay focused, to stay present, and I could tell he was struggling, but I didn’t want to worry about what was happening on the other side of the net. Again, respect for him, and I hope he returns soon.”

Novak Djokovic wins the first set 6-3.

In Friday’s match, Djokovic was locked in from the first ball. He hit his groundstrokes with depth and moved forward frequently, closing the net 13 times in the set to put pressure on Alcaraz. Following a break in the fourth game, the Serbian fended off three break points in a massive game at 4-2 as Alcaraz began to find rhythm from the baseline. The top seed then kept serve to take the lead.
Alcaraz wins the second set 7-5.

At 1-1 in the second set

Alcaraz showed off his all-court game to perfection. He had terrific speed and touch to chase down a Novak Djokovic drop shot before retrieving to the baseline and firing a squash-like behind-the-body forehand winner that drew plaudits from the Serbian.

During the baseline exchanges, Alcaraz began to dig in, playing with strong energy as his power forced Djokovic, who had a medical stop in the set, to overhit. The 20-year-old struck 68% of his first serves in the set and returned from wasting three set points on Djokovic’s serve at 4-5, 0/40, and 6-5 to equalise.

Novak Djokovic wins the third set 6-1.

In the third set Alcaraz began to cramp. Rather than risk further injury to his leg by continuing, the 20-year-old chose to lose his service game at 1-1 in order to receive prompt treatment from the physio on Court Philippe-Chatrier. The 20-year-old kept going but was unable to chase down shots, with the Serbian outlasting the Spaniard in baseline exchanges to reclaim the lead.

Novak Djokovic wins set four, 6-1.

At the end of the third set, the Spaniard took a restroom break in an attempt to find a second wind. He got two break points on Djokovic’s serve at the opening of the set but couldn’t convert, and the Serbian raced clear from there.

He limited errors on the ground and pushed the tired Alcaraz around the court with his range of spins to improve to 1-1 in their ATP Head2Head series.

Novak Djokovic currently has an 80-4 record in the first set at Roland Garros, winning 35 consecutive matches. His most recent defeat after winning the opener occurred in the 2015 final against Stan Wawrinka.