Novak Djokovic Cherishes ‘Big Occasion’ Against Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros Semifinals

Novak Djokovic has faced Jannik Sinner only once on the clay-court and he won the tie in straight sets back at the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters.

Novak Djokovic Cherishes ‘Big Occasion’ Against Jannik Sinner in the Roland Garros Semifinals

Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic (Image via X/Served with Andy Roddick Podcast, We Are Tennis)

Novak Djokovic has declared that there’s no bigger occasion than facing Jannik Sinner in the semi-final of the French Open. Ahead of the blockbuster clash, a lot is at stake as the match will decide whether Sinner will reach his first career Roland Garros final or Djokovic will get to his 38th Grand Slam final.

The Serbian legend secured his place in the last four of the French Open after coming from behind to beat last year’s runners-up Alexander Zverev 4-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4. The victory was his 101st at the Roland Garros. He now needs two more wins to claim a record-extending 25th Grand Slam.

However, he will have to beat World No.1 first before thinking about the title. It will be the ninth encounter between Djokovic and Sinner, with their head-to-head split at 4-4. But Sinner has won four of their last five meetings, including their most recent encounter at the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters final.

Following Djokovic’s impressive victory against Zverev, he was asked about his upcoming showdown with the 23-year-old star. The 38-year-old revealed that it is a great occasion to play against the World No.1 and added that Sinner has been playing terrific tennis for the past year, dominating the men’s circuit:

Jannik is in tremendous form and he has been the best player for the last couple of years… deservedly...We always had some exciting matches. At one point I think we played 3 or 4 matches in a very short amount of time on hard court… we played maybe once on clay in Monte-Carlo I think years ago. It’s going to be of course the semifinals of a Grand Slam against the world #1. There is no bigger occasion for me.

Sinner is the favorite to beat Djokovic in their semi-final clash because of his intimidating form since his return to the tour after his three-month suspension. The US Open champion has lost just once in his last 11 matches. Also, he has lost against Carlos Alcaraz twice in his last 37 matches, and is on a streak of 19 consecutive Grand Slam wins.

Meanwhile, Djokovic has had a topsy-turvy season, but has finally found form at Roland Garros. He has dropped just one set at the tournament and has won all of his last nine matches, and has a boatload of experience playing at the Roland Garros, having won the title on three occasions.

Novak Djokovic is not concerned about how he will stop Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic will certainly face a tough task against Jannik Sinner, who is known to serve great and hit very hard. Also, the Italian star’s long legs help him slide properly on clay. But Djokovic has an arsenal of styles of play he can deploy on any given day, also changing his tactics in the middle of matches, when needed.

Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic (X/The Tennis Letter)
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic (X/The Tennis Letter)

He was asked what he expects against Sinner at the Roland Garros. The 38-year-old revealed that he expects Sinner to come all out and play at a very high level – but doesn’t think about how to stop him:

I know what to expect from Jannik, he’s gonna come out, he’s gonna play on a very high level as he did basically every tournament that he played in the last year and a half. I don’t expect anything less from him. But these kind of matchups and challenges, in a way, extract the best out of me. Playing best-of-five, late stages of a Grand Slam against No 1 in the world — you can’t get more motivated than that, for me at this age. So that’s how I see it now. How am I gonna stop him? I don’t think about that.

Djokovic has met Sinner only once on clay and that was at the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters. There, the Serbian defeated the Italian 6-4, 6-3.

Also Read: Coco Gauff Shares Mindset Shift Ahead of Second Grand Slam Final in Paris