Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic has the makings of a classic
MIKE DICKSON: Carlos Alcaraz is the 20-year-old force of nature standing between Novak Djokovic and a record 23 grand slam titles – their French Open semi-final has the makings of a classic
- Alcaraz and Djokovic have met only six times, a rarity for two players at the top
- Friday’s French Open semi-final could be a chapter in a gripping new rivalry
- PLUS: The four key battlegrounds where Alcaraz vs Djokovic will be lost and won
So studiously have Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic avoided each other that there is an element of Coe versus Ovett about Friday’s French Open semi-final.
But now the match that everyone has wanted to see is finally here, and it is not just the clash of the year to date but an encounter that could yet define this and coming seasons.
The two great middle distance runners only met six times in their whole careers, and the same scarcity value applies to another pair of great athletes, the world’s two best tennis players at present.
It is a curiosity that they have only faced each other once before, which was when a deciding tiebreak saw the 20 year-old Alcaraz in last year’s Madrid Open, played at the slight altitude of the Spanish capital.
This is largely explained by injuries suffered by the Spaniard after he won the US Open, and also the ban on entering the United States (now expired) which Djokovic was prepared to suffer as a price of not being vaccinated against Covid. They have only been at the same tournament once this year, last month’s Italian Open.
Novak Djokovic is just two matches from breaking Rafael Nadal’s grand slam record in Paris
But standing in his way is World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz, a rival that Djokovic has only faced once
The sixteen year chasm in ages means that this rivalry will certainly not have the lifespan of those seen between Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
John McEnroe will be among the greats of the game at Roland Garros to witness what will probably be the match which decides if the 36 year-old Serb finally moves ahead of Nadal’s 22 Grand Slam titles this weekend.
‘We hope that this goes on for a couple of years. Novak’s 36, but he looks like he’s 26 and Alcaraz is 20 and he plays like he’s been around forever,’ said McEnroe, who will commentate for the BBC this summer.
‘To me, (Boris) Becker was the best player I ever saw at 17 or 18 when he won his first two Wimbledons. This guy Alcaraz, he’s just turned 20 and he’s the most complete player I’ve ever seen at this age, more than the other guys.
‘That obviously doesn’t mean he’s going to win as much as Novak, Rafa or Roger. Maybe even Sampras, but you’d be hard pressed to think he’s not going to win many, many Majors.
‘Djokovic is going for history. He’s trying to break the record, which is insane. It’s just salivating this matchup, to see who’s going to handle the pressures, the crowd is going to be nuts, as they often are in France. they are very emotional, I can’t wait.
‘I picked out Alcaraz and gave him a slight edge in this tournament beforehand, they are both getting it done in different ways. I’m hoping for an epic one.’
During their only meeting, Alcaraz beat the Serbian on clay at last year’s Madrid Open
The 36-year-old drew level with Nadal after winning the 2023 Australian Grand Prix after being barred from competing in 2022
It is somewhat surprising that the bookmakers have the young Spaniard as clear favourite, because he has nothing like the experience of navigating such an occasion over best of five sets compared to Djokovic.
Alcaraz is rapidly gaining the know-how, but he can get nervous and nobody knows how to find their way to the winning post in the way that Djokovic does.
There is little between them in technical terms, and while at opposite ends of the age spectrum, part of their brilliance stems from their exceptional movement skills.
Djokovic is the elastic man, and the smiley 20 year-old from Murcia runs like a bullet with his electric turn of pace.
Former French Open champion Mats Wilander, not usually one for hyperbole, was moved to remark: ‘There’s hope for mankind when you see an athlete like Carlos Alcaraz.’
His trademark is the dropshot, which can give the appearance of having his opponent on a string. It pretty much humiliated Stefanos Tsitsipas in the previous round, but whether he will be able to execute it so effectively under the greatest pressure is one of the many imponderables.
Alexander Zverev (left) will play Casper Ruud in the second semi-final tomorrow, with the Russian-German viewed as a greater threat in the final
The second semi-final will be served up after the main course. Germany’s Alex Zverev will face Norway’s Casper Ruud, who has recovered from a poor start to the season to come within one match of repeating his appearance in last year’s final, when Nadal crushed him.
Should Zverev get through he might have a better chance of upsetting, come Sunday’s final, whoever wins Friday’s colossal duel.
FOUR KEY BATTLEGROUNDS
The Djokovic return of serve
The Serb’s eye and agility makes him an all-time great on the return, but Alcaraz has been impeccable on serve so far at this event. His percentage of points won on second serve, 62, is the best in the tournament and he is winning nine out of ten service games. Both of those stats will be heavily tested by a master of the return.
The Alcaraz drop shot
So effective has the Spaniard been in this beguiling department that it is leading to an increase of the shot being played overall on the men’s tour. It has the effect of stopping an opponent to play as deep as they might want, and sprinting in to make them is both sapping on the legs and demoralising.
Alcaraz will be wary of facing Djokovic’s formidable return, which has has mastered on all surfaces during his storied career
The 20-year-old is fresh from winning this year’s iteration of the Madrid Open in early May
The Djokovic mentality
His speciality is locking in on the big points and playing the ball back deep with monotonous efficiency to test an opponent’s nerve under the greatest pressure. A ridiculous statistic at this tournament is him winning all five of the tiebreaks he has played, without giving away a single unforced error in any of them.
The Alcaraz forehand
This is something of a monster, and on the clay he has more time to run around his backhand and hit it. Even with heavy balls he has the power to hit through the court, and against Karen Khachanov in the previous round Djokovic was troubled for a while by the Russian’s heavy artillery from that side.
Carlos Alcaraz will play Novak Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals, live on Eurosport, from 1.45pm on Friday June 9
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