French Open 2023: Djokovic to take on World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in semi-final encounter

The French Open 2023 has reached the semi-final stage. In the first semifinal, World No. 3 Novak Djokovic will face World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz on Friday at Court Philippe-Chatrier. The Serb has been looking in tremendous touch and is fully prepared to take on the top-ranked Spanish to go ahead and claim his 23 Grand Slam titles and script his name in the record books.

It would be a challenge for the youngster from Spain to overcome the Serb, move into the final, and keep his World No. 1 spot intact. Carlos Alcaraz will have to keep his nerve, as this would be his first meeting against the two-time French Open champion in any Grand Slam clash.

Novak Djokovic moved to the semi-final after getting past Karen Khachanov. After the match, the veteran star said it was a “match that a lot of people want to see. It’s definitely the biggest challenge for me so far in the tournament,”

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, who got past Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinal quite easily, said, “Since the draw came out, everyone was expecting that match. Myself as well. I really want to play that match.”

In the second semi-final tonight, Norwegian tennis star Casper Ruud is gearing up to play against Alexander Zverev of Germany.

Alexander Zverev said, “Roland-Garros was definitely a tournament that I marked on my calendar this year.” He further added, “I’m extremely happy with how things are going, but the tournament is not over yet. There are still potentially two very, very difficult matches ahead, and I’m looking forward to that.”
When asked about how his journey has been since returning from an injury last year, Alexander Zverev said, “It took longer than expected. Still, at the beginning of the season in Australia, I was playing on one leg. Then I think until basically Indian Wells, Miami, I was still in pain at times.”