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For much of the 2025 season, there have been doubts surrounding Novak Djokovic and whether he could still compete at the very end of Grand Slams against top players.
The Serbian put all of those questions to rest on Wednesday night in the French Open quarterfinals, when the sixth-seeded Djokovic took down No. 3 seed Alexander Zverev in four comfortable sets, 4-6 6-3 6-2 6-4.
Now, Djokovic advances into the final four to take on World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a blockbuster matchup to determine a place in Sunday's final. After knocking off Zverev, Djokovic expressed confidence that he can take down the best player in the world, via Connor Joyce of The First Serve.
“This kind of match up and challenge, in a way, extracts the best out of me,” Djokovic said. “Playing best of five, late stages of a grand slam, against number one in the world, you can't get more motivated than that, you know, for me at this age.”
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Ever since suffering a hamstring tear against Carlos Alcaraz at the Australian Open in January, Djokovic has struggled. He lost in the first round in both Monte Carlo and Madrid, two of the biggest lead-in tournaments to the French Open. However, he picked up his 100th career title in Geneva the week before Roland Garros, and has carried that momentum into Paris.
Even after beating the No. 3-ranked player in the world in Zverev, playing against Sinner is another step up in competition. The Italian's resume is already pristine in his young career, with three Grand Slam titles and more than a full year as the top-ranked player in the world. Sinner is also on a 19-match winning streak in Grand Slams after winning the U.S. Open last fall and the Australian Open in January.
Djokovic and Sinner have faced off eight times, with each side getting the win on four occasions. However, Djokovic won the first three meetings before Sinner took four of the last five, including their most recent Grand Slam meeting in the 2023 Australian Open semifinals.
Sinner has looked very good so far at this French Open, getting through his first five matches without dropping a set on his way to the semifinals. If Novak Djokovic wants to take him down and give himself a chance to win his 25th Grand Slam on Sunday, he will have to bring his A-game once again on Friday evening.
