NO ESCAPE FOR ALCARAZ

Spaniard hit by body cramps as Djok marches on to the final

- NEIL MCLEMAN

CARLOS ALCARAZ blamed nervous tension for causing "full body cramps" as Novak Djokovic triumphed in a survival of the fittest at the French Open.

And the Wimbledon champion is now only one more win away from a male singles record of 23 Grand Slam titles.

The Spaniard and the Serb had been locked at one-set all after more than two hours of brutal tennis on the hottest day of the tournament.

US Open champion Alcaraz had even produced the shot of the year with stunning sprint to the baseline followed by a ridiculous forehand pass.

But the physical effort and nervous energy needed to compete with Djokovic took its toll when world No.1 Alcaraz pulled up in pain at 1-1 in the third set of their semi-final.