Novak Djokovic said he said goodbye to Paris when his tilt was destroyed by Jannik Sinner at a record 25th Grand Slam.
The Serbian, 38, waved goodbye to fans on the Philippe-Chatrier field and walked his fingers through the clay after he was 6-4 7-5 7-6 in the semi-final by Italian world no. 1.
Whether this is his last performance at the French open20 years after his debut, it is still to be seen.
DjokovicWho was treated on his leg, said: “I wanted to show a great sense of gratitude for the kind of support I received. It was incredible.
“I don’t think I got so much support in this stadium in my career in big games against the best players in the world.
“Congratulations on Jannik For a very good and solid performance.
“Mentally he earned a lot of honor to hang there at the difficult moments when the whole stadium cheered. He showed why he was number 1 in the world. He was just too solid.
“I mean, this could have been the last game ever I played here, so I don’t know. That’s why I was even more emotional.
‘But if this was the farewell match of the Roland Garros For me in my career it was a great one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.
“Do I want to play more? Yes, I do that. But shall I be able to play here in 12 months? I don’t know.”
Casino Special – Best Casino Bonuses of £ 10 deposits
It is his accident that he encountered a player who has not lost a grand slam match since then Wimbledon 2024.
But still, to drop a set, Sinner, 23, will now face his rival and friend Carlos Alcaraz In a blockbuster -final, which uses seeds, one against two.
But he paid tribute to the conquered Djokovic and said: “It was a special opportunity to play against Novak. It’s great.
“I had to perform. Play my best tennis. He is the best player in the history of our sport.
“It shows what a role model he is for all of us, especially all of us young players. What he does is incredible. We are very, very good luck to see him play at such a high level of tennis.”
Alcaraz came one step closer to defending his French open crown while he pushed tired Lorenzo Musetti to the breaking point in the first semifinal.
The Italian may have won the opening set, but his body soon broke when he had trouble tackling the ruthless attack of the Spaniard.
Injury on his left leg in set three resulted in Musetti, the no. 8 seeds, which had to withdraw with the score 4-6 7-6 6-0 2-0 in favor of Alcaraz under a closed roof.
It was a sad way to end this special occasion, but Alcaraz, 22, remains on track to become the third man this century to maintain the Roland Garros Silver Cup.
Alcaraz, the double Wimbledon champion, said: “It’s not the way I wanted to win, to make the final.
“I just wished him, you know, a quick recovery. I hope to see him soon.
“His level fell a bit, and I made the best of it. Playing at such a great level and high intensity during three sets is difficult.
“I tried to push him to the extreme. The first two sets were really difficult, intense and I tried to let him run a lot during the third set.”
- Advertisement -