The one semi-final in the men's tournament at the French Open will be the summit clash we had hoped for. Novak Djokovic will challenge world number one Jannik Sinner on Friday.
06.06.2025, 04:00
06.06.2025, 07:02
SDA
He dragged himself through the first half of the season with great difficulty. His record was miserable by his standards, with several defeats against sometimes blatant outsiders. However, the tournament in Geneva, which he had again added to his calendar at short notice as preparation for the French Open, provided the hoped-for ray of hope. Novak Djokovic won at the Parc des Eaux-Vives, finally completing his hundredth ATP tournament win - and gaining additional self-confidence for the second Grand Slam event of the year.
Grand Slam! Two magic words for Djokovic. The big stage is the Serb's world. That's where he is ready, where he is able to show his full potential. That's where his motivation reaches its peak - no matter what has happened before. These tournaments are one of the reasons why Djokovic is still not talking about retiring at the age of 38.
The special for the special
"At these events, I can concentrate and really give my best. Matches like the one against Jannik (Sinner) are special challenges for me and bring out the best in me," said Djokovic after his impressive performance on Wednesday evening in the quarter-final against the German Alexander Zverev. He would love to extend his record of 24 Major titles won.
Will it work these days at Roland Garros? In any case, the next hurdle is already an oversized one, and if he makes it through to the final, his opponent could be no less strong. Last year's winner Carlos Alcaraz is the logical favorite in the other semi-final against the up-and-coming Italian Lorenzo Musetti. Djokovic knows only too well what awaits him on Friday. "Jannik will play at a very high level - just as he has done at practically every tournament in the last year and a half. I expect no less from him."
Djokovic and Sinner will meet for the ninth time. Both have won four duels. However, the South Tyrolean has won the last three. They have only met once before on clay, four years ago at the ATP 1000 tournament in Monte Carlo. In that match, the first between the two, Djokovic clearly had the upper hand. It was the time when the Serb was the world No. 1 and Sinner was approaching the top 20 players.
Cautious favorite
Sinner has held the role of number one for a year now. Even the three-month ban for alleged doping this year has not changed his status. Sinner himself does not appear to have been greatly affected by the enforced break. On his return to competitive tennis a month ago at the tournament in Rome, he was only stopped by Alcaraz in the final.
Sinner is considered the favorite for Friday's semi-final. The Italian naturally takes a more pragmatic view. He, Djokovic, has recently proven that he is playing at the highest level again after a weak phase. "It will be difficult. His record at Grand Slam tournaments says it all."
