Winner of Carlos Alcaraz on Friday in the Roland-Garros semi-final, Novak Djokovic qualified for his 34th Grand Slam final. And first wanted to greet his young rival: “I told him he still has a lot of time ahead of him. I’m sure he will win Roland-Garros many times in the future. I really have no doubt about it because his way of playing is incredible. He has so many qualities. He is very dynamic, he has a lot of power in his shots. He is really a complete player and also he has already won a Grand Slam. He is the youngest No. 1 in the history of this game so there are a lot of things that go in his favor and speak for his future.
A very physically impaired Alcaraz could not play the third and fourth sets normally. “It was obvious that he had difficulties when he moved. It’s a shame for the public, for a game as important as that, for both of us, but that’s how it is, that’s sport. It happens when you play with a lot of intensity. This was the case for both of us during the first two sets.
The world number 3 returned to the pressure which explains the cramps of his young (20 years old) Spanish rival. “When I was younger, I had some physical difficulties, at the beginning of my career. I understand all of these circumstances that affect you emotionally and physically. It is one of the biggest tournaments in the world. Maybe for the first time in his career, he was expected to win. He was not the underdog who was going to seek this title against a favorite. This surely played on him, it affected him and I think he said that.
On the way to history, the Serb did not take care of his popularity either and suffered a lot of whistles from the Parisian public, who did not particularly appreciate his toilet break at the end of the first set: “Does not matter to me. This is not the first time nor the last that I will be booed. I wait and I keep winning.”