Paris crowds hope to laud new darling of Roland Garros

FROM the moment the draw was made for this year’s French Open, focus was on the potential semi-final clash between Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

- Matt Majendie

In the absence of an injured Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz was bidding to emulate his idol in becoming the new darling of Roland Garros, while Djokovic saw an opportunity to take the outright grand slam record with title No23.

Some 16 years apart in age, it saw the old and new of the sport battling it out this afternoon on Court Philippe Chatrier.

The talk in men’s tennis has long been about the upcoming shift of power from the big three to the next generation. With Roger Federer retired and Nadal battling to make it back for a final season in 2024, never has that been more pertinent.

In Alcaraz, already the world No1, the sport has its new big star but Djokovic, despite not having played his best tennis throughout the past fortnight, still remains a formidable threat this season and beyond.

In contrast to Alcaraz v Djokovic, the later semi-final has caused barely a ripple, an unexpected meeting between two players in Casper Ruud and Alexander Zverev, both of whom had done very little this season to suggest they could make their way to the final stages in Paris.