Alcaraz, Djokovic, Zverev and Ruud ready for battle at French Open
It is almost the perfect final line-up; three of the four top seeds and a zippy, exciting German left standing in the men’s French Open semi-finals.
Roland Garros this year has been a tournament of hostility. Fans have booed Russians, Belaurisans and Ukrainians alike while Brit Cameron Norrie became public enemy No1 amid controversy against two French opponents.
And today in the Parisian suburbs those tennis fans are in for a treat.
French Open final four
First up is the hotly anticipated clash between the sport’s newest sensation, world No1 Carlos Alcaraz, and the 22-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic.
These two have played just once before – last year at the Madrid Masters – and the young Spaniard came out on top in a deciding third set.
But fans have been waiting to see this clash at a Grand Slam for a number of years now – it is final worthy.
Alcaraz is seen as the next 20 Grand Slam-winning player while Djokovic is the last remaining member of the Big Three who is consistently on the circuit – Federer has retired and an injured Nadal has said next season may be his last.
Djokovic has made more French open quarter-finals than Nadal but has only gone on to lift the trophy twice – in 2016 and 2021.
It’s the Serbian’s least successful Slam but he has won double the amount of titles at the French Open than Alcaraz has picked up in his entire, but youthful, career.
The 20-year-old 2022 US Open champion was knocked out in the last eight last year – against fellow 2023 semi-finalist Alexander Zverev – but will be hoping to make his second Slam final.
While Nadal will remain the King of Clay, some have suggested Alcaraz could be his Spanish prince until the elder statesman leaves the sport for good.
Alcaraz is fiery and will want to maintain his 100 per cent winning record against his European opponent. It should be a cracker.
Underdog
The other semi-final sees third seed Casper Ruud and 22nd seed Zverev.
Neither of these players have a Grand Slam to their name and so they’ll go into the final – against whomever it is – as the underdog.
Ruud has burst onto the scene in recent weeks and has made two finals – at the US Open and French Open in 2022. He has, however, been unable to convert those chances into victories.
Zverev has reached one final – the US Open in 2020 – but is appearing in his third French Open last four tie.
The German can, however, mix it with the big time having won the end-of-season ATP Tour Finals on two occasions.
The 26-year-old has returned to the tour this year having been subject of domestic abuse allegations against his ex-girlfriend Olga Sharypova – the ATP announced in January this year that there wasn’t enough evidence to hold up the allegations.
His focus will be on the tennis and a first Grand Slam but Ruud will be stiff opposition.
It is such a strong French Open semi-final start list and the clay dusted courts of Paris will undoubtedly be graced with some top quality tennis.