Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry takes the Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic route; youngsters recreate legends' incredible French Open SF feat in 2024 

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz script a new story in their rivalry as they star in the first semifinals at the French Open involving two players under the age of 23 since Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic in 2008. The match will be the ninth meeting between the two with both men winning four each and also their first-ever match at the Paris Major.

The two youngsters have been in phenomenal form for some time and have taken this form into the Roland Garros. While Alcaraz took out the likes of J.J Wold, Jesper De Jong, Sebastian Korda, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Stefanos Tsitsipas, Sinner saw off Christopher Eubanks, Richard Gasquet, Pavel Kotov, Corentin Moutet, and Grigor Dimitrov to reach the Final 4.

It is also interesting to note that both players have only a single set so far in their campaigns. The matches between the two players are highly awaited by the tennis fraternity and never fail to deliver blockbuster matches.

With their semifinal match confirmed, Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner has gone down the Rafael Nadal-Novak Djokovic route as they become the first players under the age of 23 since the Spaniard and the Serb to star in the semifinals of the French Open. Alcaraz is currently 21 years old, whereas Sinner is 22 years old. During their 2008 duel, Djokovic was 21 years old and Nadal was 22 years old.

Nadal, seeded second, won the match 6-4, 6-2, 7-6(3) against Djokovic, seeded third, and went on to defeat top seed Roger Federer 6-1, 6-3, 6-0 to lift La Coupe de Mousquetaires for the fourth consecutive time. It is interesting to note that Sinner is seeded second, whereas, Alcaraz is seeded third at the tournament

"I think, right now, Jannik Sinner is the best player in the world" - Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

During his on-court interview after his win against Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz acknowledged Jannik Sinner as the best player in the world and admitted that he was a tough challenge to face the Italian. He also said how Sinner motivates him to give his 100% towards becoming a better player and was glad to have him on the tour.

"It's a really difficult challenge, I'm not going to lie. I think, right now, he's (Sinner) the best player in the world, or the player who is playing the best tennis right now. I mean, what can I say about him? I think we've played great, great matches, high level.

"I'm glad to have him on the tour, to have him at this level because, thanks to him, I push myself to be a better player, to give my 100% every day, to wake up in the morning and want to improve my game to try to beat him."

The Spaniard said that he loved watching the Italian play and reiterated that the semifinal was going to be a tough challenge for him. He said that he was ready to give it his all in this match and was sure that both players would bring their A-game.

"So I'm grateful to have him playing. I love watching him play as well. And yeah, it's going to be a really difficult challenge for me. I'm ready to take that challenge. I'm ready to give my all on this beautiful court. It's the match that everybody wants to watch."

"And I'm sure that he's going to show his best tennis, myself as well. And let's see who is going to win."

The winner of the match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will reach the final of the Roland Garros for the first time in their career. Here they will face one out of Casper Ruud, Alexander Zverev or Alex de Minaur.