Sinner outfoxes Djokovic for maiden Paris final

As the reigning US Open and Australian Open champion, on Friday evening Sinner attempted to join the much-heralded 'Big Four' – Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Andy Murray – as the only men to advance to three successive Grand Slam finals this century.

Sinner was only seven years old when Djokovic won the first of his 24 majors in Melbourne back in 2008. The Serbian’s longevity and history-making defies logic.

The pursuit of a historic 25th Grand Slam title was on the line, prompting the 38-year-old to claim: "These kind of matchups and challenges extract the best out of me."

What a treat for the tennis world this was with the current leader of the pack taking on the all-time leader of the pack.

Story of the match

The rallies kept ramping up in velocity from the very start of the match. Djokovic called out to his team: "I can't win those baseline rallies - what am I supposed to do?" The advice from his team was to introduce variety.

The world No.6 obliged with a regular diet of drop shots, loopy backhands and slingshot forehands. However, it was Sinner who charged ahead 3-2 with a break, a backhand return skimming off the baseline and forcing Djokovic to swing and miss.

It was simply breathtaking hitting from both, the 38-year-old was having to cover so much ground just to compete with Sinner's relentless repertoire.

Early in the second set, Djokovic demonstrated exactly how he has won three titles on Court Philippe-Chatrier during one of the points of the tournament.

It was an exchange that had it all, ending with the Serb combining a drop shot, forehand volley on the stretch, then a backhand volley at full stretch. Hands on hips, cracking a smile, Djokovic soaked up the monumental reception.

Put simply, that was the level the former world No.1 had to produce to keep up with the current No.1.

Roland-Garros 1999 champion Andre Agassi was sat in the very front row and would have approved of Sinner stepping in and ripping yet another backhand down the line to spark a 4-3 break lead in set two.

Soon enough the Italian was serving for the set at 5-4. It was the first time Sinner’s radar went off kilter though, Djokovic rewarded for some age-defying retrieval skills near the backboards.

Having broken back for 5-5, could the 24-time Grand Slam champion steal the set to level the match? Not quite. Sinner connected with a ferocious forehand drive volley and clattered a second serve ace to wrap things up.  

Sinner had prevailed in four of their past five battles but it was Djokovic who almost stole the third set when the Italian saved three set points at 4-5 as the tussle hit the three-hour mark.

The world No.1 then proved why he leads the tour in tiebreaks with a 7-3 shootout success, before raising his arms aloft in celebration.

Key stats

The 23-year-old's victory sets up the first men’s major singles final between players born in the 2000s. Sunday’s opponent Carlos Alcaraz was born in 2003, while Sinner was born two years earlier.

Since the start of the Cincinnati Masters last August, Sinner has only lost two matches (47-2) and both came against Alcaraz in the Beijing and Rome finals.

It's the first time since the 2013 US Open that the ATP and WTA's No.1 and No.2 players have reached the singles finals at the same major (Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka).

It's the first time it's happened at Roland-Garros since 1984 (John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert).

Sinner says...

Praise for Djokovic: “It was a special occasion for me, in a semi-final of a Grand Slam against Novak. It’s just amazing. I had to step up, I had to play the best tennis I could. I’m really happy how I handled the situations.

“It shows once again what a role model he is for all of us, especially for us young players. What he is doing at his age is incredible, so I only wish him the best for the rest of the season. I think we are all lucky to see him playing this high-level tennis.”

Playing Djokovic and not the legend: “It’s very difficult. He’s achieved so many things, he’s the best player in the history of our sport and playing against him here is amazing.

“Of course I tried not to think about all this, but before going on court, you feel the tension, what is about to come against you. I always try to prepare in the best possible way and be ready for every situation on the court. I’m very happy how I dealt with that.

The final: “It’s going to be very, very difficult. I know my head-to-head lately doesn’t look great against Carlos [Alcaraz has won their last four matches] so we’ll see what I can do. I’m very happy to be here in the final.

“Of course I’ll enjoy these moments, they are rare, special moments in my career. This is a very special place for me, we’ll try and be prepared for the final.”