Novak Djokovic sees the end as Jannik Sinner underlines reality of French Open defeat

Independent

14 hours ago

As Novak Djokovic departed Court Philippe-Chatrier after his defeat to World No 1 Jannik Sinner in the French Open semi-finals, the 38-year-old stooped to lower his bags before turning to all four sides of the stadium. In a moment not dissimilar to Rafael Nadal's final exit from Roland Garros in 2024, Djokovic paused and applauded the reception he had received. He then stopped again to brush the clay with his hand, an intimate gesture that may have revealed a clue to his future.
'This could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don't know,' Djokovic said. 'That's why I was a bit more emotional even in the end. But if this was the farewell match of the Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.'
Djokovic has rarely spoken about his career in such uncertain terms but, at the age of 38, there are no guarantees from here. He will play at Wimbledon and the US Open, giving himself at least two more attempts to claim a record 25th grand slam title and become the oldest grand slam champion in history. After that, Djokovic does not know what his future will be.
With Djokovic's quest for more tennis history on hold, he was frustrated again by the younger generation, who now have the stage for themselves. On Sunday, the 23-year-old Sinner will play the 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, the defending champion, for the Roland Garros title. It will be the first grand slam final between Sinner and Alcaraz, as well as the first men's final contested between two players born in the 2000s, and it's unlikely to be the last. The future is now.
The development of Sinner from talented teenager to dominant World No 1 has been measured through his meetings with Djokovic. His early defeats to the most successful men's player of all time, for example, taught the Italian how far there was to go. His victory over Djokovic in the 2024 Australian Open semi-finals was the moment that opened the door to his first of three grand slam titles. Now, at the French Open, the 23-year-old looks on the cusp of more greatness after a gutsy 6-4 7-5 7-6 (7-3) victory against his elder rival.
To put Sinner's victory into some perspective, only Nadal had beaten Djokovic at Roland Garros since 2019, and he now has four consecutive wins against the greatest of all time. In just his second tournament back from a three-month doping suspension, Sinner is through to his first Roland Garros final and will target his third consecutive grand slam title, and first outside of the hard-court tournaments, when he plays his young rival Alcaraz.
Over three hours of this gripping semi-final, Sinner comprehensively displayed his outstanding levels across all areas of the game. The World No 1 effortlessly generated pace in the rallies, sending back whatever Djokovic could throw at him with relentless precision. He absorbed pressure on the defence, returned accurately, served imposingly, and covered the court incredibly well to leave no angles for Djokovic to hit. 'I felt constantly under pressure,' Djokovic said. 'He didn't allow me to kind of like have time to swing through the ball. He was just constantly on the line, trying to make me defend.'
Above all, Sinner remained composed in the biggest moments. It wasn't until Djokovic looked to compete with Sinner from the baseline where the match started to become competitive and there were many stages where the Italian - who is the first man from Italy to reach the Roland Garros final since Adriano Panatta in 1976 - could have buckled, particularly when Djokovic had three set points to force a fourth.
And still, Sinner has not dropped a set this fortnight. In the crucial juncture of the match, with the crowd on its feet and chanting 'Nole, Nole', Sinner forced the tiebreak where he underlined his dominance again. In the decider, Djokovic missed a series of forehands, and one simple overhead. Sinner may have felt like collapsing over the finish line but he had showed immense bravery.
'I think mentally he deserved big credit for hanging in there in the tough moments when the whole stadium was cheering,' Djokovic said. 'It was set points down, and he managed to find some really good shots. He showed why he's No 1 in the world.'
Djokovic had looked helpless at times during the first set, desperately attempting to mix up the points by looping higher balls to the back of the court in an attempt to change the pace of the rallies and, to the growing frustration of his many supporters, throwing in drop shots to shorten the points.
He won just three points on the Sinner serve in the opening set, but the semi-final came alive as Djokovic was able to find some pressure on the returns and the second and third sets were played at a high level with very little to separate the players with 15 years between them. 'In terms of the level of tennis, I think it was three tight sets,' Djokovic said. 'Second and particularly third could have gone my way. One or two points, one or two shots.'
In the second set, Djokovic won a dizzying, scrambling net exchange to get to deuce for the first time in the second game, a point of the year contender, and roared while whipping his arms. Djokovic had the momentum but Sinner did not blink.
'He can change gears so fast,' Sinner said. 'One point and then he gets the energy, and things could have gone very quickly in the other way. There is a lot of stress. It's important to calm down. It's important to take your time. It's important to understand the moments of the match.'
He was displaying all the touch at the net that Djokovic was missing and served for the set at 5-4 in the second. But then, for the first time in eight sets against the World No 1, Djokovic forced a look at a break-point chance. He had not generated a single opportunity against him in defeats in Melbourne and Shanghai, but was rewarded for his persistence when Sinner put a backhand long. With Sinner's level of serve dropping slightly and the Italian netting on the second break point, Djokovic had levelled at the first opportunity and pumped his fists.
Djokovic had indeed changed gears and it demanded an immense effort from Sinner to remain on course. He went back to targeting Djokovic on the return, forcing a sloppy service game from the 38-year-old while pulling his opponent left and right in the rallies. He broke ahead by finding the line with a forehand and then planting the winner beyond Djokovic. Closing it out was arduous. Still, Sinner found clutch serving, with an ace on the deuce point followed by a return that sailed long from Djokovic.
In the third, after a series of holds, Djokovic and Sinner returned from the change-over with the Serbian leading 5-4. Sinner was forced to wait as the crowd rose to its feet, baying for the fourth set, and Djokovic even had to tell them to settle. To raise the noise even further, Sinner made consecutive errors to face 0-30 and then two set points when Djokovic turned defence into attack with a sliding backhand down the line
Sinner responded by saving both with a drive volley and unreturned serve down the middle, as well as a third when Djokovic missed on the forehand down the line. 'I had a forehand, and I went for it, and I missed it,' Djokovic reflected. Sinner then withstood a chorus of boos as Djokovic furiously contested a line call on deuce. It was the last resistance Djokovic had as he was made to pay for a series of errors and Sinner booked his place in Sunday's final.
'I wish him the best,' Djokovic said. 'I think it's going to be an amazing matchup with him and Carlos, two best players, for sure, at the moment.' There is no doubt about that. But, despite his form coming into the French Open, Djokovic has proved once again that he belongs in the latter stages of the grand slams and is still capable of winning them.
The problem is, Djokovic is unlikely to settle for third-best. He will watch like the rest of the world when Sinner and Alcaraz meet on Sunday, while knowing he will be 39 years old when the next chance to win in Paris arrives. 'Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months' time here again?' Djokovic asked. 'I don't know,' he said. 'I don't know.'