the program, the favorites, the anecdote, the figure… this Friday, June 9

The program

This Friday, Philippe Chatrier runs, from 2:45 p.m.: Alcaraz (Esp, 1)-Djokovic (Ser, 3); Ruud (Nor, 4)-Zverev (G, 22).

Favorites

The Alcaraz-Djokovic game crystallizes looks and expectations since the draw. The Spaniard (n°1) and the Serb (n°3) calmly overcame the obstacles. They lost 1 set each (Alcaraz against the Japanese Taro Daniel in the 2e round ; Djokovic against Russian Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals). The ingredients of the blockbuster are united. Stefanos Tsitsipas sets the scene: “One has the experience, the other has the legs. He moves like Speedy Gonzales. One of them can land some big, big punches, and the other prefers control more than anything else. Control and precision, more than pressure, and he tries to get the opponent to move as much as possible.“Roland-Garros is ready for a match that could make history.

The player worth watching

Alexander Zverev. A year ago, the German left the tournament in tears and on crutches. In the semi-finals, he had long jostled and made doubt Rafael Nadal before being broke. On a slip his right foot got stuck. The fall was violent, the injury serious. Alexander Zverev (26) did not return to competition until 2023. Without too much success (16 wins-14 losses, before Roland-Garros). He barely finds his best level but is about to live a new semi-final. A year after a nightmare. The German has won two of the three matches against Norway’s Casper Ruud.

The number

1, for Carlos Alcaraz (world No. 1) who will experience his first semi-final at Roland-Garros. For Novak Djokovic, it will be the 12e in Paris (the 45e in Grand Slam); the 3e consecutive for Alexander Zverev, the 2e in a row for Casper Ruud.

The story

On June 9, 2013, Rafael Nadal beat his compatriot David Ferrer (who had knocked out Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals) in the French Open final 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. The Spaniard, who had already beaten the Swede’s record in Paris (6 titles between 1974 and 1981), is raising a head above the “BBof tennis with 12 Grand Slam titles. He would add others, at Roland-Garros and elsewhere.

The expression

Grand Slam. First used in 1933 by two New York Times journalists to accompany Australian Jack Crawford, who had won the Amateur Internationals in Australia, France and Great Britain and reached the final in the United States at Forest Hills (he bowed against Fred Perry). The expression has had extensions in tennis (golden Grand Slam for Steffi Graf in 1988, with the Olympic title; red Grand Slam for Rafael Nadal who, in 2010, won the Masters 1000 on clay in Monte-Carlo, Rome , Madrid and Roland-Garros).