Djokovic beats cramping Alcaraz to reach French Open final

World
By William

World number one Carlos Alcaraz had just leveled the match with Novak Djokovic when disaster struck as he stumbled to his bench with his right leg at 1-1 in the third set.

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic defeated a spasmodic Carlos Alcaraz 6-2, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 to become the second-oldest men’s finalist in French Open history, coming close to a record 23rd Grand Slam- title.

The 36-year-old Djokovic, a two-time Roland Garros champion, will break the record he shares with Rafael Nadal for most men’s Grand Slam singles titles if he beats either Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev in Sunday’s final.

“First of all I have to say bad luck for Carlos, because at this level you don’t want cramps, physical problems in the final phase of Grand Slam,” Djokovic said after winning the semifinal on Thursday.

“I feel for him, I feel sorry for him and I hope he can recover.”

Alcaraz’s physical struggle drained the tension as he fought valiantly to continue after a tense first two sets, with Djokovic dominating the opener before the Spaniard drew level in the second.

“By the end of the second set he was the better player. I had to be aggressive, get the ball early or he would be the aggressive one. He’s very fast, very dynamic, so I had to match that and do even better, which was very exhausting.

However, the 20-year-old Spaniard stalled with his right calf as Djokovic held on to serve for 1-1 in the third set, effectively giving his rival the next game rather than struggling through the substitution.

Alcaraz was a shadow of the unflinching, all-in-one player who started the match, his movement heavily restricted as Djokovic raced through the rest of the set.

He returned for the fourth set after a bathroom break and looked a bit more mobile, but after Djokovic saved a break point in the opening match, Alcaraz’s persistent resistance eased.

If he wins on Sunday, Djokovic can also surpass Nadal as the tournament’s oldest winner and regain the number one position from Alcaraz.

Nadal was absent from his favorite tournament this year due to a hip injury.

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