Flawless Djokovic books Roland-Garros semi-final v Sinner
The Serb’s forehand and drop shot made the difference as he saw off Zverev in four sets
Novak Djokovic, 2025 | © PNewz
Novak Djokovic beat Alexander Zverev to book his place in the Roland-Garros semi-finals, defeating the world No 3 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in Paris on Wednesday to set a blockbuster clash against top seed Jannik Sinner.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion put on a tactical masterclass against former finalist Zverev, expertly utilising his drop shot to disrupt the German’s rhythm in what was a highly physical encounter.
Djokovic got plenty of pay from his forehand as well, consistently drawing errors from Zverev – who hit 15 more than Djokovic across the three-hour, 17-minute match – and setting up points to be finished with his silky smooth hands at the net.
The Serb has now won 22 matches in a row at Roland-Garros – including last year’s Olympic gold medal – not losing to anyone except for Rafael Nadal on these courts since 2019.
“Matches like tonight are the reason I continue to play at a competitive level,” the 38-year-old declared after winning his 13th Roland-Garros quarter-final.
Slow start costs Djokovic
The opening set was decided in the first game, with Djokovic starting the colder of the two and Zverev gaining an immediate break. The German was then close to perfect behind his first serve, winning 17 of 18 points to close out the set 6-4.
Djokovic did have a look at pegging Zverev back in the eighth game, earning break point at 30-40 after playing three brilliant points in a row. However, he would run out of gas in the longest point of the first set – 29 shots – as Zverev’s backhand withstood the Serbian’s forehand attack.
Zverev’s level drops
Another break chance came for Djokovic early in the second set, this time as a result of errors from Zverev’s side of the net. His first serve bailed him out of the initial break point, but a backhand long on the second handed Djokovic the break.
Djokovic found himself in trouble at 3-1 up, however, as Zverev drew him into a protracted, energy-sapping sixth game. Three times the German forced Djokovic to deuce on his own serve, with the third leading to a break point chance. Just as multiple extended rallies seemed to be taking their toll on the 38-year-old, he landed three straight unreturnable serves to hold for 4-1.
More chances to break came in the next game when Djokovic produced the shot of the match. Drawn out to his left, the Serb delivered a searing, on-the-run backhand passing shot just as the point seemed to be over. It led to a break point two points later, but this time Zverev was able to defend with a rare drop-shot winner.
In all, it was a much more error-strewn set from Zverev, who struck 12 unforced errors to Djokovic’s five, falling 6-3 to put the match back on level pegging after an hour and 38 minutes.
The masterclass begins
Three love holds to start the third set gave both men a breather from the physicality of the second set, but that quickly changed in the fifth game.
The combination of Djokovic’s return of serve, which increasingly gave him an edge on Zverev’s second serve, plus the Serbian’s use of the drop shot, gave him an opening to break and take the lead for the first time in the match.
Phenomenal touch at the net in a side-to-side point earned Djokovic his second break point in the fifth game after Zverev saw off a first with his serve at 30-40. The world No 3’s forehand then sprayed an error, handing Djokovic the break, and the lead for the first time in more than two hours.
A second break in the seventh game consolidated his advantage, with Djokovic really hitting his straps and Zverev coming undone. The drop shot continued to generate reward for the Serbian, as did his forehand on attack.
When Djokovic served out the set to love, a match that was looking dead-even turned into the greatest of all time putting on a show for Court Philippe-Chatrier as he drew within one set of a 13th French Open semi-final.
Djokovic rides home advantage
Set four saw a brutal rally at 15-15 which was a microcosm of the match. Djokovic dictated the point with his forehand as the pair went toe-to-toe for 30 shots from the baseline, before finishing off the point with an outrageously-well-executed volley that caught the line.
Zverev would cough up his first double fault of the match the next point to go down break point, leaking another error at 15-40 and dropping serve.
The brilliance kept coming from Djokovic’s end as he consistently won the longer points, moving Zverev around and utilising his superior touch to consolidate his break. So complete was Djokovic’s hold on the match that the crowd turned to a Mexican wave for entertainment.
Things were closer in the fourth game, with rare back-to-back unforced errors from Djokovic giving Zverev deuce on the Serb’s serve. But as soon as the opportunity came it went, as Djokovic’s drop shot drew Zverev into the net and earned him an easy put away, before a serve-plus-one-forehand closed out the game.
Zverev survived a tough hold in the next game then gained another chance on Djokovic’s serve in the game. This time, it was a break point after a well-read drop shot was tracked down off the back of an uncharacteristic unforced error from Djokovic earlier in the game.
What unfolded next had the Philippe-Chatrier crowd on the edge of their seats – and then on their feet – as Djokovic went into lockdown mode, first going backhand-to-backhand with Zverev, then defending overheads brilliantly, somehow surviving to land a forehand-pass winner on the 41st shot of the rally.
So superb was Djokovic’s level that there was talk of flooding the court to see if he could walk on water too. The Serb, meanwhile, still had breath enough to crack a joke to Feliciano Lopez courtside two points later, closing out the game for a 4-2 lead.
To his credit, Zverev kept holding serve, hanging around and asking the question of Djokovic in case his level dropped.
It did not, and even though he took five match points to get over the line, the 24-time Grand Slam champion held serve himself to wrap up the match and book a mouth-watering semi-final against world No 1 Jannik Sinner on Friday in Paris.
