Novak Djokovic says what he’s fully expecting Jannik Sinner to do when they face each other in Roland Garros semi-final

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Novak Djokovic rolled back the years on Court Philippe-Chatrier on Wednesday night to set up a French Open semi-final against Jannik Sinner.

When Alexander Zverev pinched the first set 6-4, it looked as though Djokovic would have to really dig deep to get past the German performer.

However, Djokovic rallied, dug into a huge reserve of energy, and showcased his mental prowess to win the next three sets in comfortable fashion to send a message to the rest of the field.

The Serbian powerhouse is chasing Grand Slam title number 25 at Roland Garros and based on the form he showed in his quarter-final, he’s hell-bent on getting exactly what he wants.

• READ MORE: Novak Djokovic creates history during French Open quarter-final

Novak Djokovic says what he expects Jannik Sinner to do during French Open semi-final

As the world number one, Sinner won’t be fazed by playing Djokovic, despite the achievements he can boast about in tennis.

That said, Djokovic won’t give much notice to the world rankings, and he will know that on any given day – and especially with how well he’s playing – he can beat absolutely anybody.

The 38-year-old is a huge fan of Sinner’s and after beating Zverev, he has some kind words for his next opponent.

He said in his press conference: “Jannik is in tremendous form and he’s been the best player for the last couple of years.

“He has been playing some terrific tennis, attacking tennis, and he is just super strong from every part of his game.

“I have not played him in quite some time, and we always have had some exciting matches. At one point, I think we played maybe three or four matches in a short amount of time on a hard court.

“I think we played maybe once on clay in Monte Carlo years ago. So it’s going to be, of course, semi-finals of a Grand Slam against the number one in the world, there is no bigger occasion for me, so I will try to do my best to step it up and perform as well as I did tonight.”

Djokovic was quizzed on how he will approach the match, and although he’s remained coy in that sense, he’s in no doubt as to what he thinks Sinner will do.

He continued: “Yes and no, I guess. It really depends on the given day and how you feel on the court.

“I know what to expect from Jannik. He is going to come out and play on a very high level, basically as he has done in every tournament he has done for the last year and a half. I don’t expect anything less from him.

“But this kind of match-up and challenges in a way extract the best out of me.

“Playing best of five, late stages of a Grand Slam, against the number one in the world, you can’t get more motivated than that for me at this stage.

“So that is how I see it now. How am I going to stop him? I don’t think about that. I think about how I am going to execute what I want on the court and feel how I want to feel. That’s where my thoughts are going, and, of course, I am going to sit with my team tomorrow and think about it and work on the practice court on specifics that will be the case when I play Jannik so I will do my best to get ready.

Jannik Sinner vs Novak Djokovic head-to-head

Both semi-finals at the French Open look like cracking ties, but it’s fair to say that Sinner taking on Djokovic is most certainly the standout.

Although Sinner has looked machine-like in his performances so far, it’s fair to say that he’s not really had a genuine test yet.

Djokovic will change that, and if he can put him under pressure, a lack of match practice in the five-set format might bite him a little bit.

Sinner is the world number one for a reason, however, and it still promises to be fascinating to see whether Djokovic has got another French Open final in his locker this weekend.