Everything came to an abrupt halt at 1-1 in the 3rd set. Carlos Alcaraz seemed to have taken the lead. Novak Djokovic seemed to suffer physically from the repetition of efforts but on an innocuous forehand, the Spaniard saw the cramps tie up his right calf. And immediately tear his hopes apart. Courageously and sportingly, Carlos Alcaraz wanted to finish the match but was no longer able to compete, only scored one game. Novak Djokovic, winner 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, will live his 7th final of Roland-Garros (he has two titles in 2016 and 2020). Carlos Alcaraz will have to wait before experiencing a first final at Roland-Garros.
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- Roland Garros Men's Singles
- Roland Garros Women's Singles
In a press conference, cap carefully planted on the skull, eyes off, Carlos Alcaraz said: "In a match like this, I arrived feeling good, having cramps, it's very disappointing. After two intense first sets, I had cramps in my arm and at the beginning of the 3rd cramps all over my body, not just in my legs. My whole body suffered."
"I was very nervous at the beginning of the match. The match was very intense with exchanges, cushions, he combined different styles of play.
»The suspense had disappeared, the intensity had disappeared but Carlos Alcaraz never thought of throwing in the towel: "I never thought of giving up. To withdraw in the semi-finals of a Grand Slam, it would have been terrible. In the 4th set, I thought I only had a 1% chance of coming back..."
Scored, Carlos Alcaraz recalled: "I have already suffered from cramps, but never at this level, for example against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the US Open (in the 3rd round in 2021, match won in the tie-break of the 5th set). You have to learn from these types of experiences. I will learn from this match and make sure it doesn't happen again. It's something I have to deal with, I'll have more experience in a future game. It's never easy to play against Novak. If someone says they're playing Novak without feeling nervous, they're lying. Next time I play against Novak, I hope to feel different. But I'll be nervous anyway..."