This article originally appeared on The Grandstand.
(Photo courtesy of flipboard.com)
Expert picks are back for the French Open semifinal showdown between No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz and two-time champion Novak Djokovic on Friday. A three-team panel previews the showdown and makes its predictions.
Ricky Dimon: There simply haven’t been enough Alcaraz vs. Djokovic matches since the Spaniard emerged on tour a few years ago. Well, the French Open draw (and Daniil Medvedev by winning the Rome Masters and becoming No. 2) solved that problem. Alcaraz and Djokovic are clearly the two best players in the world right now, but they will collide in the semifinals instead of the final.
Arguments can be made for both men. It’s a Grand Slam, and in such a situation you can never count out Djokovic. However, Alcaraz has been the best player on tour this whole year (since he missed the Australian Open, at least) and he looked superior to Djokovic–with room to spare–in their respective quarterfinal matches. Again, you can’t feel great about picking Djokovic to lose any Grand Slam match…except against Alcaraz. This guy is just different. It’s Alcaraz’s title to lose–and I don’t think he will. Alcaraz in 4: 6-4, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.
Cheryl Murray: This is the match. The one everyone has been waiting for. There has been much speculation about what a best-of-five match between Djokovic and Alcaraz would be like. There are plenty of considerations–plenty of reasons to think Djokovic is going to pull out the win and just as many to think it’s going to be Alcaraz. First, there’s experience; nobody has as much big-match experience as Djokovic; tick a box for Djokovic. Then there’s form. The Serb hasn’t been at his best since the Australian Open, but Alcaraz has been outstanding. Point to the Spaniard.
Then there’s their only previous match–a barnburner of an encounter in Madrid last year. Alcaraz won that one–just barely. But that was a slightly lesser version of Alcaraz prior to his Grand Slam breakthrough at the U.S. Open. Check for Alcaraz. Then again, there is nothing trickier than dispatching Djokovic in a best-of-five encounter. It…just doesn’t happen very often–except for the traditional “Rafael Nadal beats Djokovic at Roland Garros” storyline. Another hash mark for he Serb. This one has the makings of the match of the year so far. Grab your popcorn. Alcaraz in 5: 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(4), 6-7(2), 6-4.
Pete Ziebron: It’s the absolute steely determination of Djokovic vs. the free-swinging, seemingly “can’t miss” Alcaraz! While many will consider this semifinal to be the de facto final, the victor must then win one more match to hoist La Coupe des Mosquetaires. Despite dropping only one set en route to the semis, Djokovic has labored on court–being extended to five tiebreakers in previous rounds. Alcaraz, meanwhile, declared that he felt invincible on court at times during his opening round win over a qualifier. The Spaniard then lost the second set in his next match against world No. 112 Taro Daniel. The course was immediately corrected, though, as Alcaraz won 66 of the next 92 games played while steamrolling into the semifinal.
At 36 years old, Djokovic knows his time is limited to continue to achieve all he set out to do in his career. Plus Nadal did not appear in the draw this time. These two factors will elevate the Serb to the win, as it will be a monumental relief to not have to face Nadal at Roland Garros in an attempt to win the title. Djokovic in 4: 6-4, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4.
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