Drama in Paris – Injured Alcaraz is eliminated against Djokovic
The moment when defeat was already certain. Carlos Alcaraz continued to play after treatment
Which: AP/Jean-Francois Badias
The long-awaited battle of the generations kept its promise for a long time. Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz fought a close duel in the semifinals of the French Open. After the 1:1 set equalization, more than two hours had already been played. Then the Spaniard caused a shock.
Es was 1-1 after sets and 1-1 after games. Well over two hours had been played and a marathon match was looming on the Philippe Chatrier court. Superstar Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, number one in the world rankings, had a spectacular and exhausting exchange of blows in their semifinals at the French Open.
The Spaniard regained the upper hand after losing the first set in the duel, which was declared a battle of generations, but subsequently lost ten games in a row. Cramps all over the body pulled Alcaraz and thus the match the plug. “The first and second sets were really, really intense. Then my arm started cramping. At the beginning of the third set, I started getting cramps in every part of my body, not just my legs,” said the 20-year-old Spaniard after the defeat. “It was really difficult to move.”
Djokovic reached the final in Roland Garros for the seventh time due to the tennis drama surrounding his opponent. The 36-year-old prevailed against the badly injured Spaniard 6: 3, 5: 7, 6: 1, 6: 1 and can hope for the third title at the clay court classic in Paris.
Chasing a record: Novak Djokovic is again in the final of Roland Garros
Which: REUTERS
Djokovic’s Prognose für Alcaraz
The third in the world rankings only needs one win for the 23rd triumph in a Grand Slam tournament, with which he would secure the sole record ahead of Rafael Nadal. Djokovic meets Alexander Zverev or the Norwegian Casper Ruud in the final in Paris. The second semi-final followed.
“The last thing you want is physical discomfort in the semifinals of a Grand Slam. I was very sorry about that,” said Djokovic, who reminded his 16-year-old opponent on the net how young he was and that he would still win this tournament often.
“I congratulate him on his fighting spirit. He didn’t give up,” he praised his opponent, who didn’t seem to be thinking about leaving the field early. With a score of 0:5 in the fourth set, he even won a game. And even at 5:1 and 40:0 for the Serbs, he won another point to the cheers of the spectators.
He went into the game physically fit and felt good. However, he was also very nervous at the beginning. The question of why the cramps came about made the Spaniard a little perplexed. The reasons were also the tension and intensity of the game, explained Alcaraz. But he never really thought about giving up.
“We were physically at the limit at the end of the second set. I didn’t feel fresh at all either. From then on, of course, it was a different match and I just tried to keep my concentration,” explained Djokovic.