Jannik Sinner is headed to his first French Open final to try to win three major tournaments in a row after capturing the Australian Open in January and the U.S. Open last year.
Sinner is the fifth men's player to reach three consecutive major finals this century. The other four? Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and his opponent on Friday, Novak Djokovic.
The World No. 1 beat 24-time major winner Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 7-6 in order to set up a finals matchup vs. World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz. Sinner hasn't dropped a single set during the entirety of this year's French Open. Additionally, Djokovic's attempt at winning the all-time record for 25 majors has been halted again.
Sinner shouted out Djokovic in his post-match interview, expressing gratitude for the Serbian's impact on the sport.
“Novak showed how much of a role model he is," Sinner said. "What he's doing is incredible, I wish him the best for the rest of the season, and we are very lucky to see him playing such high-level tennis. He has achieved so many things, is the best player in the history of our sport. Playing against him here is amazing. Of course I try not to think about this, but before going on court, you feel the tension and what is coming against you."
Even though Djokovic won't make tennis history at Roland Garros this year, the final matchup between Sinner and Alcaraz is a historic one as it's the first major final comprising of two men's players born after the year 2000—Sinner was born in '01, while Alcaraz was born in '03.
The two young tennis superstars have faced each other 11 times previously, but never in a major final. Alcaraz holds the advantage, winning seven matches over Sinner's four. Their last four meetings have ended in Alcaraz's favor, too, including in last year's French Open semifinal. The Italian is aware of his struggles vs. Alcaraz, but he's going to try to not focus on the past when stepping onto the court on Sunday.
“I try to prepare myself in the best possible way," Sinner said in his post-match interview. "Of course on Sunday it's gonna be very, very difficult. My head-to-heads lately don't look great against Carlos Alcaraz, but I'm happy to be in the final. We will do our best and I will see what I can do.”
The French Open men's final will begin broadcasting at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, June 8.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Jannik Sinner Advances to French Open Final After Beating Novak Djokovic in Three Sets.