Not too long ago, towards the end of an excruciating April, Novak Djokovic could hardly win a match. On a three-match losing streak while closing in on his 38th birthday, he had, in his own words, entered a “new reality”. Djokovic reasoned that his results simply reflected the circle of life. It was inevitable that the circle will eventually close.
There was nothing at all new about the level exhibited by Djokovic on a glorious Thursday night in Paris as he turned back the clock with a vintage offering. Djokovic, the sixth seed in Paris, completely outplayed the third seed Alexander Zverev to return to the semi-finals of the French Open with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory.
Djokovic is the oldest man to reach the French Open semi-finals since Pancho Gonzales in 1968 and he has now reached 51 grand slam semi-finals, extending his own all-time record. “Tonight is one of those reasons why I still keep playing,” he said.
Life will become more difficult for Djokovic when he faces world No 1 Jannik Sinner in the semi-final on Friday. Sinner continued his imperious march through the draw with an emphatic 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan. Sinner is still yet to drop a set and he has won 19 consecutive matches at grand slams after recent triumphs at the US Open and Australian Open.
Djokovic entered Court Philippe-Chatrier with unfinished business after being forced to withdraw from his Australian Open semi-final against Zverev in January. He had produced a stellar performance to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the last eight, fighting through a hamstring strain that finally downed him in Melbourne. Having started the year radiating confidence, that injury would prove the start of three extremely difficult months on the tour.
On the eve of the French Open, Djokovic found his way again by winning his 100th career title at a small tournament in Geneva. Still it was unclear if he was truly ready to elevate his level against one of the best. The early exchanges further underlined the high standard required as Djokovic opened up the match with a sloppy service game against a locked-in Zverev, who immediately broke his serve. Zverev played an excellent opening set, serving brilliantly, imposing himself with his forehand and outlasting Djokovic in the attritional exchanges.
Nobody understands the ebb and flow of a best-of-five marathon like Djokovic, who calmly shrugged off the lost opening set. He built rhythm on his serve and tried to put as many returns in the court as possible while calmly waiting for his moment. At 2-1 in set two, Djokovic was rewarded for his patience. In his attempts to maintain pressure on the Serbian, tense unforced errors began to leak from Zverev’s racket, and Djokovic earned his first break.