NOVAK DJOKOVIC said farewell to Paris as his tilt at a record 25th Grand Slam was destroyed by Jannik Sinner.
The Serbian, 38, waved goodbye to fans on Court Philippe-Chatrier and ran his fingers through the clay after he was out-manouerved 6-4 7-5 7-6 in the semi-finals by the Italian world No.1.
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Whether this ends up being his final appearance at the French Open, 20 years after his debut, remains to be seen.
Djokovic, who had treatment on his leg, said: “I wanted to show a great sense of gratitude for the kind of support that I received. It was incredible.
“I don’t think I have ever received this much support in this stadium in my career in big matches against the best players in the world.
“Congratulations to Jannik for another very good and solid performance.
“Mentally he deserved big credit for hanging in there in the tough moments when the whole stadium was cheering. He showed why he’s No.1 in the world. He was just too solid.
“I mean this could have been the last match ever I played here, so I don’t know. That’s why I was a bit more emotional even in the end.
“But if this was the farewell match of the Roland Garros for me in my career, it was a wonderful one in terms of the atmosphere and what I got from the crowd.
“Do I wish to play more? Yes, I do. But will I be able to play in 12 months’ time here again? I don’t know.”
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It is his misfortune that he ran into a player who has not lost a Grand Slam match since Wimbledon 2024.
Yet to drop a set, Sinner, 23, will now face his rival and pal Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster final, which pits seeds one against two.
But he paid tribute to the vanquished Djokovic, saying: “It was a special occasion to play against Novak. It’s amazing.
“I had to step up. Play my best tennis. He’s the best player in the history of our sport.
“It shows what a role model he is for all of us, especially us young players. What he is doing is incredible. We are very, very lucky to see him play at such a high level of tennis.”
Alcaraz moved a step closer to defending his French Open crown as he pushed weary Lorenzo Musetti to breaking point in the first semi-final.
The Italian might have won the opening set but his body soon broke down as he struggled to deal with the Spaniard’s relentless onslaught.
Injury to his left leg in set three resulted in Musetti, the No 8 seed, having to retire with the scoreline 4-6 7-6 6-0 2-0 in Alcaraz’s favour under a closed roof.
It was a sad way to end this special occasion but Alcaraz, 22, remains on course to become the third man this century to retain the Roland Garros silver cup.
Alcaraz, the two-time Wimbledon champion, said: “It’s not the way that I wanted to win, to make the final.
“I just wished him, you know, a speedy recovery. I hope to see him soon.
“His level went down a little bit, and I made the most of it. Playing at such a great level and high intensity during three sets is tough.
“I tried to push him to the limit. The first two sets were really difficult, intense, and I tried to make him run a lot during the third set.”
