Cramped: the sad departure of Carlos Alcaraz

Anyone who followed the first two sets in the French Open semi-finals on the Philippe Chatrier court was prepared for an epic tennis duel between Carlos Alcaraz (Esp) and Novak Djokovic (Srb) in the five-hour mark. exit completely open. Thrilling rallies with incredible power and speed, a fight by hook or by crook – but in the end everything turned out differently.

At the start of the third round, the pendulum swung clearly in favor of 22-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic, who has just one more win from his 23rd title that would see him become the sole number one in the all-time men’s leaderboard. separates. The 36-year-old Serb currently shares the record with the currently injured clay court king Rafael Nadal (Esp).

What happened? At the score of 3: 6, 7: 5 and 1: 1 from Alcaraz’s point of view, the world number one was afflicted by cramps (in the arm and leg), which should force several breaks in treatment. The 20-year-old Spaniard, who won the US Open in 2022, didn’t give up, but he dragged himself across the field more badly than well.

A found food for the “Djoker”. One could feel sorry for Alcaraz, the resistance was broken, not to remedy the health problem, at least in the short term. At least not as far as to act on an equal footing with Djokovic.

The man from Belgrade exploited his opponent’s weakness mercilessly and after 3:23 hours he had the upper hand with 6:3, 5:7, 6:1 and 6:1. Djokovic will not be bothered by the fact that it was too clear in the end. He can make good use of the regeneration time before the final on Sunday (3 p.m., ServusTV).

“I feel sorry for him”

The final opponent will have a shorter break. Only then was the second semi-final encounter between the Norwegian Casper Ruud and the German Olympic champion Alexander Zverev, who had injured his ankle so badly in Paris a year ago, scheduled.

“It’s really bitter for Carlos, I’m sorry for him,” said Djokovic about the strange course of the match. “I congratulate him on his fighting spirit. It was a very even match for a long time, and I didn’t feel 100% comfortable either. It was important for me to stay focused and not think too much.” Postscript: “I’m incredibly proud to be in a final again.”

It’s Djokovic’s seventh at Roland Garros. He has triumphed here twice – in 2016 and 2021. Will the third strike follow on Sunday?