One is 33 years old, he has already won everything but is not satisfied.
The other has just celebrated its 22 years and is asserting itself as the leader of the “Next Gen”.
The new generation of world tennis supposed to succeed - overthrow - the magnificent trident Federer-Nadal-Djokovic.
The duel, this Friday afternoon, during the second semi-final at Roland Garros, between world number 1 Novak Djokovic and the new Greek nugget Stefanos Tsitsipas promises to be exciting.
Presentation.
Tsitsipas the outsider
Do you know what you were doing on May 25, 2004?
Probably not.
Stefanos Tsitsipas remembers it perfectly.
Not yet 6 years old (he was born August 12, 1998), the native of Athens had skipped school to sit in front of his TV and watch a Franco-French duel at Roland Garros between Fabrice Santoro and Arnaud Clément.
"I remember that the match lasted 6 hours (
Editor's note: 6:35 am with the victory of Santoro in 5 sets: 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 3-6, 16-14
), at the time, nobody missed school to watch tennis, I was the only one, smiled the person concerned at a press conference this week.
It was just before the end of the school year, so it was a great time.
Now many more young Greeks are playing tennis and skipping school to watch Roland Garros.
I'm sure.
"
Happy National day.
Happy July 14. # BastilleDay
- Stefanos Tsitsipas (@StefTsitsipas) July 14, 2020
And Tsitsipas probably has a lot to do with it.
The smile as devastating as his forehand, he was the first Hellene to enter the top 100 (in 2017) then in the top 10 (2019), to reach the semi-finals of a Grand Slam (Open d ' Australia in 2019 where he is beaten by Nadal).
He is therefore naturally the first to reach the last four at Roland Garros.
A tournament to which the one who started tennis at 3 years old to follow in the footsteps of his parents - former tennis players and teachers - is attached.
He also announced that he had started to learn French during confinement.
On July 14, he tweeted a “Bonne Fête Nationale”, in French in the text, on his social networks.
Tsitsipas, who trains in the south of France, within the Mouratoglou Academy, is the standard bearer, the leader, of a new generation of players determined to take power on the circuit after the reign without division of the trio Federer-Nadal-Djokovic.
A transfer of power that he hopes to start this Friday in the semi-final of Roland Garros against the Serbian.
The Djokovic mystery
And 10!
It is in regular places that Novak Djokovic will make his entry on the Central.
The world number 1 is playing in his 10th semi-final at Roland Garros since 2007. A major advantage over his young opponent.
But the Serbian appeared diminished in his quarter-final against Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta.
A physical state that worries or, at the very least, asks questions.
“I had neck and shoulder problems, said the person at a press conference.
I don't want to say more and go into details.
I feel perfectly fine now.
I may have warmed up a bit, the pain has eased, it's gone.
"Info or intox, with the" Djoker "the mystery remains unsolved.
But at 33, "Nole" can mark the history of his sport a little more in this tournament.
Winner on Parisian soil in 2016, he would become the first player, since Australians Rod Laver and Roy Emerson in the 1960s, to offer himself at least twice each of the four Grand Slam tricks.
With an 18th Major, he would come a little closer to his rivals Rafael Nadal (19) and Roger Federer (20).
Enough to forget your pain ...
🤬💬 "He does it all the time as soon as he has a problem on the court"
When Pablo Carreno Busta deplores the unsportsmanlike behavior of Novak Djokovic ...
According to him, the Serbian would abuse medical timeouts! # RG20 pic .twitter.com / G2yjGYbQFL
- France tv sport (@francetvsport) October 8, 2020
THE NUMBER: 5
The two players have faced each other 5 times since 2018. The Serbian leads 3 wins to 2. He notably won the final of the tournament on land in Madrid in 2019 and that of Dubai at the start of 2020.
The matches on the program
MEN'S SEMI-FINALS
Court Philippe Chatrier
From 2:50 p.m .
: Schwartzman (Arg) - Nadal (Esp / n ° 2)
Not before 5
p.m.: Djokovic (Ser / n ° 1) - Tsitsipas (Gre / n ° 5)
DOUBLE WOMEN'S SEMI-FINALS
Court Suzanne Lenglen
From 11 am
: Krejcikova (Rtc) / Siniakova (Rtc) (n ° 4) - Babos (Hon) / Mladenovic (n ° 2);
Guarachi (Chl) / Krawczyk (EU) (n ° 14) - Melichar (EU) / Swiatek (Pol)
.