Novak Djokovic, in fine form, became the oldest man since 1968 to reach the French Open semi-finals. His victory came against Alexander Zverev, who appeared to struggle and mentioned a rather unpleasant experience during the match.
The 38-year-old Serbian star continues his impressive run, securing his 22nd consecutive victory on the clay courts of Paris over the past three years.
Djokovic defeated the 28-year-old German third seed with a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that finished close to midnight on Wednesday. This win sets up a semi-final encounter with world No. 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday.
Zverev initially took the lead by winning the first set in 49 minutes, the first set Djokovic had dropped in the entire tournament.
However, after revealing to the umpire, “I`ve swallowed about 50 flies already,” Zverev`s performance seemed to decline, and Djokovic gained momentum, dominating the match.
The intensity of the match was highlighted by an incredible 41-shot rally in the sixth game of the fourth set, which Djokovic remarkably won despite the lengthy exchange.
Zverev, who was the runner-up in the 2024 singles final after leading Carlos Alcaraz two sets to one, has a history of struggling in high-pressure matches.
This loss marks his ninth defeat in 14 career meetings against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Djokovic.
Despite recently ending his coaching partnership with Andy Murray, Djokovic showed he has not lost his touch for winning challenging, drawn-out matches, finally sealing the victory on his fifth match point after over three hours on court.
The last time a player of Djokovic`s age reached this stage was 57 years ago when 40-year-old American Richard “Pancho” Gonzales was defeated by Rod Laver.
Earlier on the same day, Jannik Sinner secured his place in the semi-finals by convincingly defeating Alexander Bublik with a score of 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 in just under two hours. Bublik was the player who had eliminated British No. 1 Jack Draper in the previous round, notably using frequent drop shots.
The consistent Jannik Sinner extended his winning streak in Grand Slam matches to 19 with his victory over Bublik.
Bublik, aged 27, committed 37 unforced errors during the match and only managed six successful drop shots, half the number he used against Draper.
Top seed Sinner, who won the 2024 US Open and the Australian Open in January, is now aiming for his third consecutive major title.
Sinner commented on his match, saying, “We have played a couple of times before so we knew what to expect.”
“But in the other way with him, you never know what is happening. He has beaten some tough players to get there.”
“I tried to stay focused on my side of the court. Play as solidly as possible. He can have some ups and downs.”
“I tried to stay consistent the whole match and serve well in the important matches.”
“It was a good performance from my side. It was a bit windy and breezy, so things can be complicated.”
“I warmed up in the hotel because it was rainy, then the sun came out. A lot of different challenges.”
