Former world number one and number three seed Novak Djokovic has reached the semifinal of the French Open 2023 after getting the better of Karen Khachanov 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 of Russia on Tuesday, June 6. Despite dropping the first set, the Serbian star did not hesitate and won the next three to advance to the semis and will likely face number one seed Carlos Alcaraz for a place in Sunday’s final. Djokovic is targeting a record 23rd Grand Slam at the French Open and is now one step closer to the dream.
Djokovic moves a step closer to 23rd Grand Slam
After taking the first set 4-6, the former champion was again stretched down to the limit and needed the tiebreak to come back into the contest. The Serb lost his serve at the wrong time in the first set and paid the price to hand over the set to the Russian No. 11 seed. However, the tables were quickly turned by Djokovic as he won the second set tiebreak convincingly, without giving any opportunity to his opponent to settle. Khachanov failed to win a single point in the tiebreak.
Djokovic’s thoughts after the match
“I think he was a better player for most of the first two sets,” said Djokovic.
“I was struggling to find my rhythm. I came into the match quite slow but played a perfect tie-break and from that moment onwards played a couple of levels higher.
“It’s a big fight, something you expect in the quarter-finals. You’re not going to have your victories handed to you, you have to earn them.”
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Djokovic’s semi-final is scheduled for Friday
As things stand, Djokovic will look to book a berth in Sunday’s final and will face the winner of Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday, June 9. Currently, he is levelled with Rafael Nadal for most singles Grand Slam titles in the men’s division. Both have 22 Grand Slam titles while the same number is shared by Steffi Graf in the women’s division.
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