By Tony Fairbairn
- Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Novak Djokovic [3]
- Casper Ruud [4] v Alexander Zverev [22]
PARIS, FRANCE – Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic will meet in a blockbuster semi-final as an opportunity at history beckons for the winner at Roland Garros.
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Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Novak Djokovic [3] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 1-0
Carlos Alcaraz has overcome some minor blips to reach his first Roland Garros semi-final as the world number one continues to establish his dominance on clay. The Spaniard is looking for his second Grand Slam title and an opportunity to show that he truly is the player to beat on the ATP tour right now. The ultimate test arrives for Alcaraz in the last four in the form of Novak Djokovic who is seeking a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title and a third Roland Garros title.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Carlos Alcaraz [1] v Novak Djokovic [3] | H2H: Alcaraz leads 1-0 |
| Roland Garros 2023 | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €630,000 |
| Second on Court Philippe-Chatrier (Not before 13:45 BST) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
Alcaraz continues to show why he is the dominant force in men’s tennis with his comprehensive win over Stefanos Tsitsipas sending a big statement to his nearest rivals. Now the Spaniard looks to take one step closer to another landmark moment as a maiden Roland Garros title is in his sights.
A severe test of Alcaraz’s title winning credentials await in the last four against Djokovic who has looked better with every match after having an underwhelming clay court season. Djokovic’s four set win over Karen Khachanov was the perfect example that mentally and physically, the Serb can outlast any player on the tour as he looks to win a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title.
After his quarter-final victory, Alcaraz admitted that if you want to win the title you have to beat the best as he looks ahead to a blockbuster semi-final clash.
“This match, it is one everyone wants to watch,” Alcaraz admitted to the Roland Garros website.
“I would say it will be a really good match to play and to watch as well. I really want to play this match well.
“I always say that if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. Novak Djokovic right now is one of the best players in the world. It is going to be a really tough match for me but I am really looking forward to playing that match.”
As for Djokovic, the Serb admitted his quarter-final match was tough and said it’s important to beat the biggest players on the biggest stages.
“Against players like Karen – he has a big serve, maybe doesn’t move as well – I tried to expose him, make it unpredictable for him,” Djokovic told the Roland Garros website.
“It worked in the end. It was a big fight – it always is with Karen. I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a great fighter, a great player. These kind of wins, I think, serve as a great confidence booster mentally, so also physically and emotionally for me.
“It’s important to win a match where you were losing or you were being down and then you came back and won a match. Especially at the latter stages of a Grand Slam against the top players.”
Alcaraz will look to use his forehand to force Djokovic behind the baseline as he looks to continue to mix up his game to make his patterns of play unpredictable. Meanwhile Djokovic will need to make a high percentage of first serves and will look to use consistent depth to force errors from the Spaniard.
This is a match between two confident players who will look to make this a physical battle and a war of attrition. The longer the match goes, the more it will favour Djokovic but Alcaraz’s quality is much higher at the moment and the Spaniard’s consistency makes him slight favourite heading into this match.
Prediction: Alcaraz in four sets.
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Casper Ruud [4] v Alexander Zverev [22] | H2H: Zverev leads 2-1
For a second consecutive year Casper Ruud is into the semi-finals at the expense of nemesis Holger Rune with the Norwegian seemingly rediscovering his confidence and form. Now the Norwegian looks to reach his third Grand Slam final as he looks to reward his hard work over the last year. Standing in Ruud’s way is Alexander Zverev who is into the semi-finals for a third consecutive year after overcoming injuries over the last year to rediscover his form in Paris.
H2H & Match Fundamentals
| Casper Ruud [4] v Alexander Zverev [22] | H2H: Zverev leads 2-1 |
| Roland Garros 2023 | Paris, France |
| Clay (O) | Prize Money: €630,000 |
| Third on Court Philippe-Chatrier (Not before 16:30 BST) | Discovery+ Add-on via Amazon Prime Sign up for 30 day free trial of Prime Video and a 7 day free trial of Discovery+ Player |
After struggling for form this year, Ruud has found his feet in Paris and is playing even better than last year as he looks forward to another Roland Garros semi-final. Now the Norwegian has his eyes on a third Grand Slam final as he aims to achieve his Grand Slam dream at Roland Garros.
Standing in Ruud’s way is Zverev who has been struggling to find form since his injury ankle at last year’s Roland Garros. However wins over Grigor Dimitrov, Frances Tiafoe and Tomas Martin Etcheverry now sees him one win away from a maiden Roland Garros final.
After his quarter-final win Ruud spoke about his semi-final with Zverev and making the semi-finals again in Paris.
“He was trying to reach his first semi-final and I was hungry to get back into the semi-final again. Luckily it panned out well for me,” Ruud told the Roland Garros website.
“It’s so great to see him back in the semi-final again. He’s had a really tough year since a year ago. I think it is going to be a good match. We’re going to give it our all, both of us, and let’s see how it goes.”
As for Zverev, he spoke about his tough journey to get back into form and spoke about how happy he is to reach the semi-final.
“The 5-4 game [fourth set] was incredible from both of us. He was hitting the ball extremely hard, I was hitting the ball extremely hard, so at the end of the day, I think, I hope I deserve to win. I’m just happy to be through,” Zverev told the Roland Garros website.
“It was the most difficult year of my life. I love tennis with all my heart, I love the competitiveness and that was taken away exactly one year ago. I’m so happy to be back at this stage, I’m so happy to have the opportunity to play for a final at Roland-Garros again, so I can’t be happier.”
Ruud will look to continue to dictate from the baseline creating deep angles to create shorter balls from Zverev in order to hit effective winners. Meanwhile Zverev will look to dominate on serve and step into the court as much as possible, neutralising Ruud’s counter-attacking game.
This will be a brutal match with both players playing gruelling matches so far however Ruud’s consistency from the baseline and variety should prove too much for Zverev.
Prediction: Ruud in five sets.
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