Novak Djokovic was at his brilliant best in his quarterfinal match, booking his place in the last four of the French Open.
The 38-year-old rolled back the years on Wednesday night, when Djokovic stunned Alexander Zverev in four sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
He’ll now look ahead to a semi-final clash with Italy’s Jannik Sinner, who beat Alexander Bublik in his quarterfinal.
Sinner, the world number one, will likely take to the court on Friday as the favorite, despite never before reaching the French Open final.
Preparing to head onto Court Philippe Chatrier as the underdog, Djokovic has now been told what he must do if he’s to come away with the win.
Patrick McEnroe says Novak Djokovic will need to ‘use every trick in the book’ to beat Jannik Sinner
Speaking to TNT Sports after the Serb’s quarterfinal win, Patrick McEnroe gave his verdict on the Sinner/Djokovic match-up.
“I think he [Jannik Sinner] still can be vulnerable even though he hasn’t looked it yet on clay. [Novak] Djokovic is going to try and do that,” he said.
“He is going to try and play short and mix it up. He is going to have to use every single trick in the book he’s ever had.
“Forehand [Jannik] Sinner’s is better right now, bigger, faster. Backhand, Djokovic has more variety and can play the slice, but Sinner’s backhand is way bigger right now. Serve, bigger. Second serve, bigger.
“Movement, I would say that’s a push, but you could probably argue that Sinner is moving better now as well. I’m not going to give it to youth off the bat because Djokovic is to me the greatest mover of all time.”
Sam Querrey then asked McEnroe whether he believes there is any ‘pillar’ where Djokovic clearly outperforms Sinner.
“The pillar is the intangibles. That’s the pillar,” answered McEnroe.
“From a technical standpoint he can come in better, he can finish a little better, he can play the midcourt [better]. But he is going to have to pull it all out to have a chance.”
Djokovic will know he has what it takes to beat the 23-year-old, having done so four times previously.
| Match | Winner | Loser | Score |
| 2024 Shanghai Masters – F | Jannik Sinner | Novak Djokovic | 7-6, 6-3 |
| 2024 Australian Open – SF | Jannik Sinner | Novak Djokovic | 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 |
| 2023 Davis Cup – SF | Jannik Sinner | Novak Djokovic | 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 |
| 2023 ATP Finals – F | Novak Djokovic | Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 6-3 |
| 2023 ATP Finals – RR | Jannik Sinner | Novak Djokovic | 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 |
| 2023 Wimbledon – SF | Novak Djokovic | Jannik Sinner | 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 |
| 2022 Wimbledon – QF | Novak Djokovic | Jannik Sinner | 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 |
| 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters – 2R | Novak Djokovic | Jannik Sinner | 6-4, 6-2 |
Their head-to-head is tied at 4-4, although Djokovic has won two of their three meetings at Grand Slam tournaments.
It’s tricky to predict who will win their ninth ATP Tour clash, but it will certainly be one to tune in for.
Has Novak Djokovic spent more time on court than Jannik Sinner ahead of their semi-final?
Djokovic and Sinner have dropped just one set between them en route to the semi-finals, as they continue to prove their class on the Parisian clay.
One player has spent more time on court than the other, however, as fatigue could well be something to look out for in the semi-finals.
| Round | Score | Sets played | Games played | Time on court |
| 1R v Arthur Rinderknech | 6-4, 6-3, 7-5 | 3 | 31 | 2hr, 15 minutes |
| 2R v Richard Gasquet | 6-3, 6-0, 6-4 | 3 | 25 | 1hr, 58 minutes |
| 3R v Jiri Lehecka | 6-0, 6-1, 6-2 | 3 | 21 | 1hr, 34 minutes |
| 4R v Andrey Rublev | 6-1, 6-3, 6-4 | 3 | 26 | 2hr, 0 minutes |
| QF v Alexander Bublik | 6-1, 7-5, 6-0 | 3 | 25 | 1hr, 48 minutes |
| Total | – | 15 | 128 | 9hr, 58 minutes |
Through his first five matches, Sinner played 128 games, spending just under ten hours on court.
| Round | Score | Sets played | Games played | Time on court |
| 1R v Mackenzie McDonald | 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 | 3 | 27 | 1hr, 58 minutes |
| 2R v Corentin Moutet | 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 | 3 | 30 | 3hr, 5 minutes |
| 3R v Filip Misolic | 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 | 3 | 27 | 2hr, 8 minutes |
| 4R v Cameron Norrie | 6-2, 6-3, 6-2 | 3 | 25 | 2hr, 14 minutes |
| QF v Alexander Zverev | 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 | 4 | 37 | 3hr, 17 minutes |
| Total | – | 16 | 146 | 12hr, 42 minutes |
In comparison, Djokovic played a further 18 games, playing almost three hours more tennis than his semi-final opponent.
Only time will tell if Sinner’s freshness pays dividends when he takes on Djokovic for a place in the French Open final on Friday, June 6.
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