Novak Djokovic wants to surpass his rival Rafael Nadal in the number of Grand Slam tournaments won (both have 22), but the Serbian faces a very difficult mission in the semifinals of Roland Garros: he will meet Carlos Alcaraz (the main favorite).

>> Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic? The Iberian says who is the favorite for the semifinals at Roland Garros

Carlos Alcaraz reminds Novak Djokovic of Rafael Nadal

In his 45th career Grand Slam semifinal, Nole says Alcaraz reminds him of Nadal, who won 14 times on clay in Paris (but is injured and unable to compete in this year’s tournament).

“Alcaraz is playing really well, there’s no doubt he’s a great guy, both on and off the pitch. He brings a lot of intensity, reminds me of a lefty from his country (without Rafael Nadal).

He deserves his success. He works hard and is a complete player in his 20s. I played with him only once, in Madrid. This will be a game that many people want to see.

This will be the biggest challenge for me in this tournament. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best, and he’s the player to beat here.” – Novak Djokovicquoted by PuntoDeBreak.

• Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have met only once before, with the Spaniard winning (5)6-7, 7-5, 7-6(5) in the semi-finals of the Madrid Masters (2022).

• Carlos Alcaraz has won 7 of his last 8 matches against ATP top 5 players. The Spaniard has also won 25 of his last 27 matches on clay.

The Roland Garros tournament takes place from May 28 to June 11, has a total prize pool of 49.6 million euros, and is the 127th tournament. Iga Sviatek and Rafael Nadal (14-time winner in Paris) became the champions of the title.