French Open
French Open semi-final preview: Alcaraz can wear down Djokovic on Roland Garros clay
With three of the top four seeded players in Friday’s men’s semi-finals draw going up against each other, it promises to be a scintillating weekend of clay-court action at Roland Garros over the next few days.
We preview both fixtures below.
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Carlos Alcaraz v Novak Djokovic – Friday 13:45
This is the one all tennis enthusiasts were looking forward to when the draw was made. Seeded number 1 and 3 – and the highest-ranked players left in the tournament – tournament favourite Carlos Alcaraz faces off against Novak Djokovic in the early slot on Friday. Alcaraz has been in scintillating form throughout the tournament, only dropping one set against Taro Daniel in the second round. Arguably his most impressive performance came in his most recent match in the previous round, where he convincingly eliminated fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets.
Having already won the 2022 US Open, Alcaraz is now aiming to capture another major title. However, this time, he faces the daunting task of defeating one of the game’s legends in Novak Djokovic, although he curiously starts as the firm 4/9 favourite. This match represents a significant milestone for both players, as it will be the first time they face off in a Grand Slam, and hopefully not the last.
Djokovic has certainly had a more challenging journey to this year’s semi-finals. He dropped a set in his hard-fought quarter-final match against Karen Khachanov, although his ability to remain resilient in pressure situations, as evidenced by his 5-0 record in tiebreaks during the past week-and-a-half in Paris, could prove to be a crucial factor in his battle against Alcaraz. He uncharacteristically starts as the outsider for this one, priced at 7/4 to advance to Sunday’s final.
However, Djokovic faces a disadvantage when it comes to playing on clay courts. Throughout his illustrious career, he has won only two of his 22 major titles at Roland Garros. In contrast, Alcaraz has showcased his prowess on clay this year, capturing three ATP Tour clay court titles before arriving at the French Open. This apparent mastery of the surface could provide Alcaraz with the edge in this one, and we like his boosted price of 11/4 from 10/3 to win the match in four sets.
Casper Ruud v Alexander Zverev – Friday 16:30
If the first semi-final was difficult to call, there’s arguably even less to separate Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev in the other men’s match on Friday.
Ruud has experience that Zverev doesn’t – winning in last year’s semi-finals before ultimately falling short against the irrepressible Rafael Nadal, but demonstrated his ability on a surface that not all players take kindly to. With a season record of 21 wins and 11 losses, including an impressive 16-5 record on clay, Ruud has proven himself to be a force to be reckoned with, although he starts Friday’s match as the very slight EVNS outsider. Including last year’s venture, he has won 11 of his last 12 matches at Roland Garros.
On the other side of the net, Zverev, currently ranked 27th in the world, has also impressed in his journey to the semi-finals. His quarter-final match against Tomas Martin Etcheverry was probably his most notable encounter of the tournament thus far; regaining control of the match after losing the second set, before seeing off his opponent after a gruelling 3 hours and 22 minutes.
Zverev holds a slight advantage in their head-to-head record, winning two out of their three previous encounters, and is the narrow 4/5 favourite. This will be their first meeting on clay, adding an element of unpredictability to an already impossible to call semi-final.
