Novak Djokovic outlasts cramping Alcaraz to race into French Open final

The highly anticipated semi-final encounter between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic ended in bitter anticlimax on Friday afternoon. After two intense, high-quality sets, Djokovic eased past a cramping Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to return to the French Open final.

With little to separate the two best players in the world at one set all, Alcaraz began to struggle with cramps early in the third set. Although he refused to retire, remaining on court until the end, the Spaniard struggled to move properly and he was uncompetitive in the last two sets.

As Djokovic contests his seventh French Open final, he will also compete for a men’s record-breaking 23rd grand slam singles title on Sunday as he looks to become the first man in the Open era to win each grand slam three times. If he wins, he will also recover the No 1 ranking from Alcaraz after losing it during the clay season.

Djokovic had begun the semi-final still with questions surrounding his form after battling through a poor, injury-ravaged clay swing. Although his form had improved during his time in Paris, it was still unclear to what extent. Against the No 1 and most in-form player in the world, the shouts for a possible victory for the youngster were deafening.

But as has been the case so often in his career, the lofty occasion and form of his opponent instantly provoked a higher level from Djokovic. Against most players, unleashing his enormous forehand has been enough for Alcaraz to force opponents back, open up the angles and dominate. But against Djokovic, the ball just comes back, constantly, with immaculate depth.

During the opening set, Djokovic’s supreme ability to soak up pace and pressure continually elicited errors from a frustrated Alcaraz and he