Damien Kayat previews Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic in a titanic semi-final clash at the French Open on the 9th of June 2023.
2023 ATP Tour
Grand Slam Tennis
French Open
Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France (Outdoor Clay)
Selected Semi-finals – 9th June
Carlos Alcaraz 1/2 | Novak Djokovic 13/8
Could this semifinal clash be more tantalizingly poised? Victory for Alcaraz would guarantee he finishes the tournament ranked number one in the world. Djokovic will need to win the tournament in order to wrestle that honour away from him.
I could not have been more wrong in my assessment of the Alcaraz-Tsitsipas match. The indominable Alcaraz made the World No.5 look like a journeyman pro on the wrong end of a bad draw. Some of the shot-making by the Spaniard was on another level.
He hit 36 winners and committed just 20 unforced errors in a dominant straight-sets win over the hapless Greek. The win took his incredible 2023 record to 35-3.
It says something about Alcaraz that this could be one of the biggest tests of Djokovic’s storied career. The Serb has looked serene in his quest for a record 23rd Grand Slam title.
This despite coming into this year’s event in pretty poor form. He hadn’t gone beyond the quarterfinal stage of the three events leading into this year’s French Open. He hasn’t reached a final since emerging victorious in Melbourne earlier this year.
He also came into this event under a slight ‘injury’ cloud. I put injury in apostrophes because there’s always been a touch of the theatrical to Djokovic’s ‘injury’ issues. But he has looked effortless in his quest for a 3rd French Open title, breezing through the first week of the tournament with little fuss.
But Karen Khachanov gave him exactly the sort of gruelling encounter I anticipated. Djokovic was outplayed for large parts of the first two sets. He lost the first but managed to win the 2nd in a tiebreaker. From that point on he looked back to his best.
Verdict: Alcaraz to win in four at 2/1
This will only be the 2nd career meeting between these two. Alcaraz won an epic three-set match at last year’s Madrid Open. Could this be the moment when the new era usurps the old?
I think it is. Alcaraz’s combination of movement and power is just awe-inspiring. Djokovic’s famed defensive skills put him in prime position to repel the Spaniard. But Alcaraz’s drop-shot ability will keep the Serb in two minds at every moment.
