Carlos Alcaraz looks ahead to mouthwatering French Open date with Novak Djokovic
- Doug Mattushek
- 7 June 2023
World number one Carlos Alcaraz previewed his upcoming French Open semifinal against Novak Djokovic.
Carlos Alcaraz is under no illusions as to the challenge that awaits him in his Roland Garros semifinal against the indomitable Novak Djokovic.
In what should have been a testing encounter, Alcaraz was simply untouchable against fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in their quarterfinal on Tuesday night, breezing past him in straight sets.
The Spaniard faced just two breakpoints all match and crunched 36 winners to sweep aside the 2021 Roland Garros finalist, who racked up 30 unforced errors trying to chase the match.
The win sees Alcaraz reach the final four for the first time in Paris, where he's only appeared in the main draw twice before 2023. While a major hurdle in the form of Djokovic is waiting for the young pretender on Friday, he is mentally prepared for the challenge.
"This match is one everyone wanted to watch," said the 20-year-old.
"I would say it's going to be a really good match to play and to watch as well. I really wanted to play this match as 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, so it's going to be a really tough challenge for me. But I'm really looking forward to that match, playing such a great level."
Earlier on Tuesday, Djokovic recovered from significant strife in the opening set to get past Karen Khachanov in four sets. Key to victory was his flawless performance in the crucial second set tiebreak, which he won to love, changing the course of the match.
"Every point matters," said the 22-time grand slam winner of the tiebreak.
"Really, every point can decide in which direction [the] tie-break is going to go," Djokovic said. "So I think it's kind of a mentality of a lockdown. 'Okay, I'm present, I'm focused only on the next point and I have to really think clearly about what I want to do'... obviously, depending on who you're facing in a given opponent. It [has] worked really well for me."
Alcaraz and Djokovic have only met once before. Fans at the Madrid Masters last year were treated to a three-and-a-half-hour odyssey, where Alcaraz came back from a set down to win. However, with two tiebreaks, the match was on a knife edge throughout.
Aside from a place in the 2023 French Open final, the match will also decide the world number one ranking.
