Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz went toe to toe in the first of the men's semi-finals until Alcaraz cramped up under the tension. Good thing it wasn't the final. And Casper's ghosted into the final.
Tense
And so the match that everyone was waiting for - Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic - fizzled out rather drably as Alcaraz cramped up all over his 20-year-old frame. It was the tension of playing a tennis god, said the Spaniard. "Well, you have to learn from these kind of matches and these kind of experiences," reasoned the Spaniard. "I will take a lesson from that match and I will try to not let it happen again in these kind of matches." Or maybe breathe.
Calendar man
Smart man that Novak Djokovic. Shortly after beating the ailing Carlos Alcaraz to reach his 34th final at a Grand Slam tournament, he was quizzed about winning at all four Grand Slam venues in Melbourne, Paris, London and New York in a calendar year - something not done since Rod Laver in 1968. Djokovic nearly pulled off the feat in 2021 but Daniil Medvedev stopped him in New York. "You know, I'm not thinking about a calendar slam," said Djokovic. "I'm thinking really just to win another Grand Slam title here on Sunday and I'm so close."
Changes
Ah, a David Bowie reference. In the old days before the tournament went jiggly with things like night matches, spectators could watch both of the semi finals with one ticket. But now, they are two separate sessions. But perhaps not. The flatness that descended on the court after Carlos Alcaraz suffered his cramps during the third set against Novak Djokovic was there during the match between fourth seed Casper Ruud and the 22nd seed Alex Zverev.
Ruud destruction
Or perhaps the calm was due to Casper Ruud's total domination of Alex Zverev. Their semi-final ended 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. Finished in two hours and 10 minutes. "I tried to play without thinking too much," said the 24-year-old Norwegian who lost to his idol Rafael Nadal in the 2022 final. "From beginning to end everything was going my way. I am very happy."
History beckons
During the post demolition natter with Marion Bartoli, Casper Ruud admitted he had entered Roland Garros not really fancying his chances of emulating last year's run. But voilà. A final on Day 15 - his third at a Grand Slam tournament. "Last year it was Rafa. This year it's Novak," he added wryly. "He's going for his 23rd ... I'm going for my first." They love an underdog in Paris.
