A little rider invariably tagged along with Carlos Alcaraz during his awe-inspiring and largely opponent-crushing drive to the top of men's tennis over the last year: Can he do it in a best-of-five marathon against one of the Big Three?
Novak Djokovic, the lone-riding member of men's tennis exclusive club at this French Open, had the answer for the 20-year-old: Not yet, kid.
In re-establishing his stranglehold on younger hopefuls out to challenge his authority in Grand Slams, Djokovic doused the exuberant Alcaraz's fire in a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 semi-final victory on Friday. In halting the 2022 US Open champion's 12-match undefeated Slam run, Djokovic maintained order in the Big Three versus Gen Next storyline and his quest for a record 23rd Grand Slam crown.
For two sets, it was a brutal yet beautiful battle that matched the hype and wait of over a year since the last time Djokovic and Alcaraz met, with the latter winning. But playing the 36-year-old in a Grand Slam is as much a test of the body as it is of the mind and skill. That's where the Spaniard, seemingly cramping in the legs early in the third set to never recover his movement or magic on court thereafter, fell short on a warm Paris afternoon.
Setting the tone early
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