Jannik Sinner triumphed over Novak Djokovic on Friday (June 6) at the ongoing French Open. After his victory, the reigning World No.1 shared a message for the Serb, praising the latter for his incredible tennis.
Sinner began his Roland Garros campaign last week, beating Arthur Rinderknech, Richard Gasquet, Jiri Lehecka, and Andrey Rublev in his first four rounds. In the quarterfinals, the Italian got the better of Alexander Bublik before beating Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3) in the semifinals.
During his on-court interview after the semifinals, Jannik Sinner explained that playing against Djokovic at a Grand Slam was very special to him and heaped praise on the Serbian, saying,
“It was such a special occasion for me, playing against Novak in the semi-final for a Grand Slam. It’s just amazing, you know, and I had to step up. I had to play (the) best tennis I could. I’m very happy (with) how I handled the situations. It shows again what a role model is for, for all of us and especially for us young players. What he’s doing is incredible. So I wish him only the best for the rest of the season and I think we are all very, very lucky to see him playing such a high level (of) tennis, so it’s amazing.”
With his straight sets victory over Novak Djokovic, Sinner enters his maiden French Open finals without losing a single set throughout the tournament.
Jannik Sinner set for finals clash with Carlos Alcaraz
As he hunts for his second Grand Slam title of the year, Jannik Sinner will now face off against Carlos Alcaraz in the finals of the French Open.
Alcaraz’s path to the finals has seen him take down Ben Shelton in the round of 16 and Tommy Paul in the quarterfinals. During his semifinals match, the Spaniard was up 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-0, and 2-0 when Lorenzo Musetti conceded a walkover mid-game due to injury.
As Sinner and Alcaraz prepare for their finals, the Italian admitted that the latter has made him a better player, telling the media,
“From my point of view, he’s a player who makes me a better player. He pushed me to the limit, we try to understand where we have to improve for the next times I play against him.”
Going into the French Open finals, Jannik Sinner trails Carlos Alcaraz 4-7 in their head-to-head record. As the duo gears up to battle, fans will be excited about their clash on Sunday.
Edited by Tushhita Barua
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