Blog

TennisSection previews the 2023 French Open semifinal match featuring Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic on Friday, June 9, 2023

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Match Details

Where is the match taking place: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic will take place at the Stade Roland Garros, Paris, France, for the 2023 French Open.

What is the start time: Carlos Alcaraz vs. Novak Djokovic will start (TBD)

How can I watch: The match will be telecast live on Eurosport – UK, NBC & Peacock – USA, SuperSport – Africa.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Head-to-Head

Carlos Alcaraz leads Novak Djokovic 1-0 in their head-to-head. He won that match in the classic semifinal they played at last year’s Madrid Open, 7-6 in third.

Alcaraz vs Djokovic Prediction

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz will face two-time French Open winner Novak Djokovic in a blockbuster semifinal clash at Roland-Garros. Since the draw was released almost two weeks ago, tennis purists and fans chalked down a possible second episode of Alcaraz-Djokovic which has been a year in the making. And now that it has come to fruition, it won’t be long before we get to see the biggest Grand Slam match of the season. Alcaraz, by his own admission, proclaimed to be one of the favorites in Paris even before a ball was struck. He made good of that declaration as he swept past fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 in the quarterfinal. Djokovic, meanwhile, withstood a valiant effort from 11th seed Karen Khachanov, winning that match in four sets. It took him until the start of the third set to see his first break points of the match, but it was a finely-crafted and hard-fought performance by the third seed who had a firm grip on the match in sets 3 and 4.

Alcaraz and Djokovic played a classic in Madrid last year (their only collision so far) and the expectation is palpable ahead of their marquee semifinal. The Serb spoke candidly to reporters saying Alcaraz is the man to beat. What could Alcaraz do wrong on the court after his mastery of Tsitsipas? He’s lightning-quick, hits his forehand with pinpoint accuracy and he’s perfect with his point construction, making him eerily similar to a machine. That doesn’t diminish Djokovic’s powers in the slightest though, as he is rightfully Alcaraz’s biggest obstacle in his quest to win a second Grand Slam and showcased his qualities as the ultimate problem-solver in his quarterfinal win. Djokovic will be going for No. 23 on Sunday if he gets there – an all-time men’s record. Tactically, there is not much to separate them as there are hardly any glaring weaknesses. When Alcaraz won the US Open last year he didn’t beat a top-5 player in the run-in, but he’ll likely account for two or possibly three top-5 scalps in order to add to his Grand Slam collection this week. We’re predicting a thriller with the young megastar of men’s tennis clinching the win.