French Open 2023: Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz to reach his seventh final
A series of dramatic and controversial circumstances on Friday led to Novak Djokovic beating world number one Carlos Alcaraz and reaching his seventh French Open final. The 20-year-old Spaniard encountered major cramping during the game, which torpedoed his challenge.
Meanwhile, Djokovic, 36, won 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to become the oldest player in more than 90 years to reach the championship match where he will be bidding for a record-setting 23rd men’s Grand Slam crown as well as a third Roland Garros title.
The nerve-racking clash between the two stole the spotlight over Friday’s other semi-final between Casper Ruud – runner-up to Rafael Nadal in 2022 – and Alexander Zverev, who is in the last four for a third consecutive year.
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Twelve months ago, the 26-year-old German and Olympic champion came across a season-ending ankle ligament damage in his semi-final against Nadal. Zverev called it “the most difficult year of my life.”
He expressed his love for playing tennis and highlighted how the sport and competition were taken away from him. But taking on an optimistic tone, he revealed his interest in taking advantage of the new chance he has been given.
Meanwhile, Djokovic will now lock horns with either Zverev or 2022 runner-up Ruud for a place in Sunday’s championship match where he will be offered an opportunity to become the first man to win all four Slam titles at least thrice.
The Association of Tennis Professionals currently ranks the Serbian player world number three in singles. Nevertheless, he has been ranked number one for a record 387 weeks in a record 12 different years.
