Novak Djokovic: “I told Carlos Alcaraz he's got plenty of time ahead of him, he's gonna win this tournament many many times”
Novak Djokovic had comforting words for Carlos Alcaraz after he struggled through their French Open semifinal on Friday before going down in four sets.
Djokovic took on Alcaraz in a highly anticipated clash. The Serb came out firing on all cylinders and took the first set before Alcaraz fought back to take the second and level proceedings.
As the battle began to gather steam, Alcaraz started to cramp in the right calf at the start of the third set. He gave up a break point to get some medical attention, took another medical timeout soon after but returned a much weaker opponent. Djokovic breezed through the final set to wrap up a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 win on Court Philippe-Chatrier in three hours and 23 minutes.
Speaking to Alex Corretja in his on-court interview, Djokovic reserved high praise for Alcaraz and expressed disappointment at seeing the Spaniard struggle physically.
“First and foremost, I have to say tough luck for Carlos. Obviously, at this level, the last thing you want is cramps and physical problems at the late stages of the Grand Slam. I feel for him, I feel sorry. I hope you can recover and he can come back very soon,” he said.
“It's tough obviously for him to not know whether he should retire the match or finish the match the way he did. Congratulations to him for fighting spirit and hanging in all the way to the last point. Respect for that, great respect,” he added.
Revealing his conversation with Alcaraz after the match, the 22-time Grand Slam champion said that the 20-year-old will bounce back from the setback quickly and also win a few titles on the hallowed red dirt in Paris.
“I told him at the net, he knows how young he is. He's got plenty of time ahead of him, so he's gonna win this tournament I'm sure many many times. He's an unbelievable player, incredible competitor, a very nice guy. So he deserves all the applause, all the support,” he said.
“I wasn't feeling fresh, it was a very exhausting battle” - Novak Djokovic on intensity of facing Carlos Alcaraz
Following his defeat of Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic holds an 80-4 win-loss record at the French Open when winning the first set. The last time he lost after taking the opening set at the competition was the 2015 final against Stan Wawrinka.
Nevertheless, it wasn't an easy ride for Novak Djokovic against the young Spaniard. The Serb said that he reached his physical limits before Alcaraz's issues turned the match on its head.
“The first set and a half, I was really playing very well, had some chances. Then, I think towards the end of the second set, he was a better player, and he deserved to win the second set,” he said.
“I think we were both at the physical limits to be honest,” he added. “Towards the end of the second set, I wasn't feeling fresh at all, and we went toe-to-toe. I think it was quiet an even match one set all, and then this thing happened with his cramps in the second or third game of the third set.”
Explaining why he began the contest with a lot of intensity, Novak Djokovic said that he didn't want to give Alcaraz the chance to be the aggressive player, which suits the Spaniard's game well:
“I had to play aggressive, I had to take the ball early because if I didn't do that, he was going to be the aggressive one. I know that he's the kind of player that loves to play that kind of style. he is very, very dynamic, very fast. A lot of power in his shots, a lot of intensity. So I had to match that and try to do even better. So it was a very exhausting battle for the two sets."
Novak Djokovic will face Casper Ruud in Sunday’s French Open final as he aims to win a men's record 23rd Major title. If he clinches his third career Roland Garros title, he will also replace Alcaraz atop the ATP rankings on Monday.