Novak Djokovic Advances to French Open Final as Fans Lament Carlos Alcaraz’s Injury

AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias

The first Grand Slam tournament showdown between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz turned into a huge letdown because of an apparent injury to the No. 1 seed in the 2023 French Open semifinals.

After splitting the first two sets, Djokovic dominated while losing only two games over the final two sets in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory to advance to the men’s championship match for the third time in the past four years at Roland Garros.

Play was stopped early in the third set when Alcaraz appeared to be cramping up. He had an opportunity to break Djokovic’s serve, but because he had to receive treatment outside of a scheduled changeover, the umpire awarded the game to Djokovic, giving him a 2-1 edge.

The injury marked the start of a quick downfall for Alcaraz, who was seeking his first appearance in the French Open final.

Needless to say, fans and analysts were upset to see perhaps the most anticipated match of the entire tournament disappoint because of Alcaraz’s injury.

It’s been a rough start to the Grand Slam season for Alcaraz. The 20-year-old had to miss the Australian Open due to a leg injury, which also caused him to lose the No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings to Djokovic.

Alcaraz reclaimed the top spot in the world rankings by defeating Albert Ramos-Vinolas in the second round of the Italian Open.

Djokovic can get the No. 1 ranking back if he wins Sunday. A victory in the final would also give him 23 career Grand Slam singles titles, breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal for the most in men’s history.

The Serbian superstar has dropped only two sets in his first six matches of the tournament. He will await the winner of the second semifinal between Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev.