PARIS (AP) — Two weeks in the past, earlier than the beginning of play on the French Open, the brackets had been set for the match, and one attainable semifinal matchup instantly demanded consideration: No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz, the Next Big Thing in males’s tennis, in opposition to No. 3 Novak Djokovic, the Current Big Thing in males’s tennis.
The heightened anticipation was not merely as a result of it could be fascinating to see the 2 of them play at Roland Garros. It additionally could be fascinating to see them play one another, interval: They’ve solely met as soon as, and it was 13 months in the past, with Alcaraz popping out on high.
So prepare: Alcaraz and Djokovic will lastly share the stage once more on Friday in Court Philippe Chatrier, the place they’ll compete for a spot within the championship match.
“Since the draw came out, everyone was expecting that match – the semifinal against Novak. Myself, as well,” Alcaraz mentioned after finishing his half of the discount by outclassing Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5) within the quarterfinals Tuesday evening. “I really want to play that match.”
A second later, Alcaraz noticed: “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.”
That echoed, phrase for phrase, the phrase Djokovic uttered hours earlier as he appeared forward after beating Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6 (0), 6-2, 6-4 on Tuesday: “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. He’s definitely a guy to beat here. I’m looking forward to that.”
The different males’s pairing for the ultimate 4 was scheduled to be decided Wednesday, primarily based on the winners of those quarterfinals: No. 22 Alexander Zverev vs. unseeded Tomas Martin Etcheverry, and No. 4 Casper Ruud vs. No. 6 Holger Rune, a rematch of a contentious match in the identical spherical a 12 months in the past in Paris.
The solely earlier occasion of Alcaraz vs. Djokovic got here on May 7, 2022, on purple clay on the Madrid Masters. Alcaraz had eradicated Rafael Nadal within the earlier spherical, and his 6-7 (5), 7-5, 7-6 (5) victory over Djokovic made the Spaniard the primary participant to beat these two titans of the game on the similar clay match.
The tennis world already knew about Alcaraz, however that actually introduced his arrival. He would go on to win his first Grand Slam title on the U.S. Open in September and turn into the primary teenager to complete a season at No. 1 within the rankings.
“He is ready to try to do big things (in) tennis. I don’t know if it’s going to be this tournament but, of course, I think he is ready,” mentioned Alcaraz’s coach, 2003 French Open champion Juan Carlos Ferrero. “He dreams very big about what he can do, so I think it’s one of the most important things that he believes in himself and that he believes that he can go to the court and win against everybody.”
So why does everybody care a lot about this specific match?
One participant, Alcaraz, is seen as a star of the long run.
The different, Djokovic, remains to be very a lot a star of the current: His championship on the Australian Open in January was his tenth in a span of 19 majors (Nadal collected six of these; three different gamers took one apiece, together with Alcaraz).
Alcaraz is 20; Djokovic is 36.
In sports, it could assist to be the one with the youthful physique.
Djokovic owns 22 Grand Slam titles, tied with Nadal for essentially the most within the historical past of males’s tennis; Alcaraz owns one. Friday will mark Djokovic’s forty fifth look in a serious semifinal and Alcaraz’s second.
In sports, it could assist to be the one with the extra in depth know-how.
“Well, one has experience; the other one has legs,” was Tsitsipas’ evaluation. “One can hit huge, super-big shots, and the other one prefers control over anything else, probably control and precision, to apply pressure and just make the opponent move as much as possible.”
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