As we come to the business end of the 2023 French Open at Roland Garros, all eyes are firmly fixed on this massive semi-final tie between Novak Djokovic and Carlo Alcaraz.
When the draw was announced, this was the semi-final that most will have had down, with these two being the leading fancies to win the tournament outright. The theory will very much be that the victor of this match up will go on to win the title, so there’s a lot riding on this one.
Here, we’ll take a look at this titanic clash of two of the most in form tennis players on the planet in the hopes we can pick out the winner and even some decent bets that can land you a nice return. Read on for more.
Flawless
Both players’ run into this semi has been practically flawless. Djokovic has dropped just a single set so far and has shown the kind of form that could see him win his third Roland Garros title and his 23rd Grand Slam.
Alcaraz was showing similar levels of form himself, dropping just a single set up to his quarter-final clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas. That semi-final was a fairly straightforward encounter and Alcaraz was able to come out on top to extend his unbeaten record against the Greek talent to five matches.
History
If Novak Djokovic is able to land this year’s French Open, he will become the leading male player with the most Grand Slam titles to his name. At the time of writing the Serb is locked on 22 titles, level with Rafael Nadal who misses his favourite tournament due to needing hip surgery.
Nadal’s recovery time is expected to take several months, which will rule him out for the remainder of the ATP season. The Spaniard has also announced his plans to retire next season, so this is the perfect opportunity for Djokovic to secure at least a couple more Grand Slams and cement in place in history.
New blood
This match appears to be particularly poignant, as it could indicate a changing of the guard in the sport of tennis. Djokovic is the experienced veteran who has done it all and Alcaraz is the new blood, looking to emulate everything his rival has achieved. That could all start for the Spaniard right here.
These two have only met once so far, in last year’s ATP Masters 1000 event in Madrid, Spain. In a very close game on the clay, it was Alcaraz who came out on top 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 and we’re expecting a similarly close game here between two of the current best players in the world. Can Alcaraz defeat Djokovic and go on to land just the second Grand Slam of his career? We’ll find out soon enough.
One thing is for certain, we’re in for a hugely entertaining match up in Paris on Friday.
Suggested bets
- Djokovic to win 3-1
- Djokovic to win first set 7-6
- First set to go to a tiebreak
