Novak Djokovic stated he isn`t focused on strategies to halt world No. 1 Jannik Sinner in their French Open semi-final, emphasizing that “these types of matchups and challenges bring out the best in me.”
It`s an unusual situation for the Serb as he prepares for his 51st Grand Slam semi-final, seeking a record 25th victory, with Sinner viewed as the favorite for their final-four encounter.
The Italian has been dominant in Paris, not dropping his serve since his opening round match against Arthur Rinderknech, nor losing a set throughout the tournament.
World No 1 Jannik Sinner hasn`t dropped his serve once since the opening round at Roland-Garros
Sinner has won 19 consecutive matches at Grand Slams, including his recent victories at the 2024 US Open and Australian Open earlier this year.
Two more wins here would put him three-quarters of the way towards completing a `Sinner slam`, with only Wimbledon remaining.
None of this seems to concern Djokovic. “I know what to expect from Jannik,” the three-time French Open champion said ahead of their highly anticipated meeting. “He`s going to come out and play at a very high level, as he has in basically every tournament he`s played in the last year and a half. I don`t expect anything less from him.”
“But these kind of match-ups and challenges extract the best out of me,” he continued. “Playing best-of-five sets, in the late stages of a grand slam against the No 1 in the world, you can`t get more motivated than that for me at this age.”
“That`s how I see it now. How am I going to stop him? I don`t think about that. I think about how I`m going to execute what I want on the court and feel how I want to feel. That`s where my thoughts are going.”
Sinner: Djokovic Back to Best Level
Djokovic`s journey to the semi-finals has been remarkable. Following a difficult period where he lost three consecutive matches, the 38-year-old defied expectations by winning his 100th ATP title in Geneva just before Roland-Garros.
While his path to the quarter-finals may have appeared favorable, Djokovic then demonstrated vintage form with a clinical performance to defeat German third seed Alexander Zverev in four sets on Wednesday night.
Grand Slams clearly continue to bring out the best in the Serb, despite not having won one since the 2023 US Open.
Sinner commented on his semi-final opponent: “He has shown now in the last period that he is back to the level. He plays very, very well, so it`s going to be quite tactical but very, very difficult. He`s such an experienced player – 24 grand slams, I think that says everything.”
Much like Djokovic, Sinner operates like a ruthless machine, and he appears revitalized since returning to competition.
“I wouldn`t have thought to be here in this position since my comeback,” Sinner said, after defeating Alexander Bublik in his quarter-final. “I`m happy to take things like they are and hopefully I`m ready. I want to watch my side of the net and then we`ll see.”
Sinner has dominated their recent head-to-head matchups, winning four out of the last five encounters. However, Djokovic defeated him in straight sets in their only match on clay in Monte Carlo four years ago.
And that`s where Djokovic might hold an advantage. His quarter-final victory over Zverev extended his winning streak at Roland-Garros to 22 matches since his last defeat in Paris in 2022 against Rafael Nadal.
Novak Djokovic won a first Olympic gold medal on the clay at Roland-Garros as part of the Paris 2024 Games
Since that loss, Djokovic claimed the title in 2023, withdrew injured before his 2024 quarter-final match, and then won Olympic gold at the venue in August of the previous year.
Alcaraz Ready for Musetti Semifinal Battle
This year marks the first time in the Open era that two Italian men have reached the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, with Lorenzo Musetti also competing on Friday against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Italy`s Lorenzo Musetti looks to upset the odds against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in their semi-final
The four-time Grand Slam winner enters the match on Court Philippe Chatrier as the clear favorite, having secured five straight victories over Italian Musetti since losing a thrilling three-set final in Hamburg in 2022.
Musetti, an Olympic bronze medalist at Paris 2024, will be boosted by his consistent strong form on clay, reaching at least the semi-finals of the four biggest clay events – Monte-Carlo, Madrid, Rome, and now Paris. However, two of those tournament runs ended with defeat to Alcaraz.
“It`s going to be a beautiful battle,” Alcaraz said about the match. “We`re both playing great tennis. Monte Carlo final, semi-finals in Rome, so it`s going to be great for people to watch as well.”
