A titanic match that has been the talk of the French Open 2023 in the men’s singles competition since the moment the draw was made will decide one of the finalists on Friday.
Carlos Alcaraz has increasingly resembled the man to beat on the tour on his way to becoming world number one, and if any player can test that burgeoning reputation — injured king of clay Rafael Nadal aside — it is the tennis legend immediately below him in the rankings, Novak Djokovic.
There was precious little to separate the rivals in their only previous meeting, when Alcaraz won 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 in Madrid in 2022.
The reward for the winner will be a title match against 2022 finalist Casper Ruud or Germany’s Alexander Zverev, who has reached the semifinals for the third year in a row but never gone further. The pair play in the later men’s singles match on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
The Sporting News is providing live updates and highlights from the semifinal match.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic live score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
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| Carlos Alcaraz | — | — | — |
| Novak Djokovic | — | — | — |
Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic live updates, highlights from French Open semifinal
15 minutes to go: Mats Wilander knows what it takes to win the French Open, having completed the feat every three years between 1982 and 1988. “Carlos Alcaraz has lit the professional tennis world on fire,” Wilander told Eurosport.
“People are talking about him more and more. Tactically, he has been incredible without losing his identity on the tennis court. Sitting watching him live is incredible.
“He comes from nowhere and smacks the forehand so hard that it’s nearly a lack of respect for the game itself. He’s okay with people routing for the other guy as we all just want to see more of Carlitos.
“I actually can’t believe he said his confidence is very high. That’s incredible. He is playing Novak Djokovic next and is coming out with these words. It’s different playing someone you’ve beaten a few times before, but they haven’t played that many times.
“It’s just incredible. He is superhuman. There is hope for mankind when you see an athlete like Carlos Alcaraz.”
30 minutes to go: Two-time French Open finalist Alex Corretja sees two players on form. “Since the very first day, we’ve been waiting for the match,” he told Eurosport. “When you have such high expectations, you might be disappointed.
“But both players have reached the semifinals by playing very well. Carlos was very impressive against [Stefanos] Tsitsipas [in the quarterfinals] and Novak was smart enough not to burn out before this tournament.
“During Roland-Garros, he’s improved his level a lot, and now he’s going to be in the semifinals in a perfect position to battle and be ready for a big fight.”
45 minutes to go: Alcaraz’s coach is 2003 French Open winner Juan Carlos Ferrero. “We know Novak a lot,” says the former world number one.
“We will try to prepare for the tactical situations we are going to have during the match, whether it is tough and how your attitude has to be if you don’t play as well as you have done on other days. He’s absolutely ready.”
Ferrero says Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and the retired Roger Federer set an example in how to be the best when it comes to “attitude and being motivated for every tournament.”
“But technically, it’s impossible to copy them,” he adds. “Carlos has his own skills and I try to make them grow every day and improve. He’s very natural… all I want to do is make him one of the best in the world.”
1 hour to go: Hello and welcome to The Sporting News’ coverage of the most anticipated match at Roland-Garros so far this year!
The allure of the top two in the world meeting before the final has been strengthened by the absence of Rafael Nadal — almost invincible in Paris — through injury this year. Nadal is the only player to have beaten Novak Djokovic at a grand slam since 2021, but Djokovic now faces what many expect to be the toughest test of that record against Carlos Alcaraz, the 20-year-old world number one who possesses extravagant shot-making skill and is being hailed as Djokovic and Nadal’s successor at the top of the sport.
We’ve heard that before about numerous young players, but Djokovic should have an easier time of it in a final against Casper Ruud or Alexander Zverev if he can get past Alcaraz as the Serbian tries to win a third French Open title. Winning this year would see Djokovic directly capitalise on Nadal’s misfortune to reach 23 grand slam titles — one ahead of the Spaniard’s total.
Turns out even champion tennis players get starstruck 🤩#RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/Edudz4KsXN
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 8, 2023
How to watch the 2023 French Open in the US
- TV channel: NBC, Peacock, Tennis Channel
- Live stream: Fubo, Hulu, DIRECTV & others
Tennis fans in the US have a number of different ways to watch the 2023 French Open on TV. That’s because this year, NBC, Peacock and the Tennis Channel will split coverage of the tournament.
In terms of live streaming the event, there are also various different options stateside. The following streaming sites will all show coverage of the tournament: Hulu + Live TV, DIRECTV, Fubo, Sling TV, Peacock, YouTube TV and Tennis Channel Plus.
How to watch the 2023 French Open in the UK
- TV channel: Eurosport
- Live stream: discovery+
As has been the case for a few years now, the French Open will be broadcast live on Eurosport. All the action across all the rounds will be shown live on either Eurosport 1 or Eurosport 2.
As for streaming, tennis fans in the UK will need to subscribe to discovery+ to catch the action. The correct plan for the tournament — Entertainment & Sport — is available for £6.99 a month or £59.99 per year. You can also add the same package to any Amazon Prime account as an add-on fee.
How to watch the 2023 French Open in Australia
- TV channel: 9Gem
- Live stream: Stan Sport, 9Now
The 2023 edition of the French Open will be broadcast live and free on 9Gem.
Coverage will start each day at 6:30 pm AEST and run until the early hours of the morning. Commentary for select matches will come from Nine’s Wide World of Sports team, featuring Roz Kelly, Todd Woodbridge, Jelena Dokic, Samantha Stosur, Brenton Speed and Brett Phillips.
For streaming options, Australian tennis supporters can pay to catch all of the action on Stan Sport. Fans down under can also stream the action for free via 9Now, which will show the standard free-to-air broadcast.
How to watch the 2023 French Open in Canada
- TV channel: RDS, TSN
- Live stream: TSN Direct
In Canada, fans can catch the action TV with both RDS and TSN after the French Federation for Tennis signed an agreement to broadcast the tournament live with those outlets as partners.
As for streaming the tournament, Canadian tennis fans can catch the action via TSN Direct.
How to watch the 2023 French Open in India
- TV channel: Sony TEN
- Live stream: SonyLiv
Tennis fans in India only have a few options when it comes to catching all of the action at the 2023 French Open.
In terms of television channel, Sony TEN will show matches whilst from a streaming perceptive, fans will need a SonyLiv subscription to watch.