Novak Djokovic has defeated Carlos Alcaraz 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the semi-final of the ongoing French Open 2023.
The Serb overcame the Spaniard after a very tough competition that lasted for more than two hours.
Djokovic will face the winner of Casper Ruud vs Alexander Zverev in the final of the tournament.
Showing his aggression right from the start, the Serbian ace got to a 6-3 win in the first set. But world no. 1 Alcaraz did not give up and fought back to claim a 7-5 win in the second set.
The Spaniard ran out of luck in the third set as he suffered cramps and the world no. 3 cruised to a 6-1 win, followed by another 6-1 victory in the fourth set to secure a place in the final.
Speaking after the match, Djokovic congratulated Alcaraz for showing a fighting spirit despite picking up an injury during the game.
"First and foremost I have to say tough luck for Carlos, obviously. At this level, the last thing you want is cramps and physical problems in the late stages of a Grand Slam. I feel for him, I feel sorry. I hope he can recover and come back very soon," he said.
"It's tough, obviously, for him not to know whether to retire [from] the match or finish the match the way he did. But congratulations to him for fighting spirit and hanging in all the way to the last point. Respect for that. Great respect."
"I'm incredibly proud to reach another final. I'm very very happy," he added.
Djokovic has made his 7th final at the French Open, eclipsing Bjorn Borg who had made it six times in his career – only Rafael Nadal at 14 has more in the Open Era.
The 36-year-old is the only male player in the Open Era with an 85%+ winning percentage in all 4 Grand Slams: 91.8% at Australian Open, 89.6% in Wimbledon, 86.2% at US Open and 85.0% at Roland Garros.
History awaits on Sunday (June 11) as Djokovic may become the player with the most Grand Slam titles won (23) in history, overtaking Rafael Nadal who won 22 Grand Slams in his career.