Novak Djokovic makes cheeky Rafael Nadal comment about Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz is just 20 and has currently only has one Slam to his name – the US Open last year – but is widely regarded as the heir to the throne in men’s tennis once Nadal and Djokovic retire. After booking his place in the semi-finals at Roland Garros, the Serb ignored Alcaraz’s coach and compared the young talent to Nadal.

Nadal is a 14-time French Open champion but is absent this year after undergoing surgery and Alcaraz is looking to take advantage with the first clay-court Slam of his budding career. He dominated Tsitsipas in straight sets on the Parisian red dirt on Tuesday night to reach the last four for the first time.

And before the match, Djokovic – who saw off Karen Khachanov in his own quarter-final earlier in the afternoon – was asked about Alcaraz’s impact on tennis, with the pair now set to face off in the semi-finals. Before learning he would face Alcaraz next, Djokovic said: “Well, he carries himself very well. No doubt very nice guy on and off the court. Brings a lot of intensity on the court.

“Reminds me of someone [Rafa Nadal] from his country that plays with a left hand (smiling). He deserves his success, no doubt. He’s working hard, and he very complete player already and only age 20 – 19, 20?

“So we played only once in Madrid last year, 7-6 in the third for him. We haven’t played since. Yeah, you’re right, most of the tournaments this year we were not in the same draw but here we are. If it comes to that match, that’s the match that, you know, a lot of people want to see.

“It’s definitely the biggest challenge for me, you know, so far in the tournament. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best. He’s definitely a guy to beat here. I’m looking forward to that.

“But, he has to win against Tsitsipas, let’s not forget about that. We cannot disrespect Stefanos who has played finals here and is top, top player for many years. So let’s see what happens tonight.”

But despite Djokovic’s comments, Tsitsipas won a mere three games in the first two sets against Alcaraz. The Greek found himself trailing 6-2, 6-1, 5-2 but rallied late to give himself a chance and forced a third-set tiebreak. Ultimately though Alcaraz showed his character to see it through on his sixth match point after a deciding set that lasted longer than the first two combined.

This is now his best career performance at a French Open. Alcaraz had reached the quarter-finals in 2022 before losing to Alexander Zverev. But he is a completely different prospect 12 months on and Tsitsipas – a two-time Slam finalist – simply could not live with his younger opponent on Court Philippe-Chatrier.

Djokovic will face Alcaraz in the final four on Friday after dropping his first set of the tournament to Khachanov. The Serb added: “It’s always the end of the tournament to have even bigger challenges and players that have possessed a great quality that can win a set or two off you, and that’s what happened today. So I take it as a really positive thing.

“I will analyse my game from today with my team, and be better prepared for the next one, because I definitely need to have a better start in the semis.” The other semi-final pairing will be decided on Wednesday. Zverev, the 22nd seed, faces Argentina’s Tomas Martin Etcheverry while Holger Rune takes on Casper Ruud in the other last-eight match.