2021 ROLAND GARROSMEN’S SINGLES SEMIFINAL NOTESFriday 11 June
In the first of today’s semifinal matches, Stefanos Tsitsipas will bid to reach his first Grand Slam final when he takes on Alexander Zverev. Victory for the 22-year-old Greek would see him become the youngest man to reach a Grand Slam final since Andy Murray finished runner-up at the 2010 Australian Open aged 22 years 261 days and the youngest man to reach the final at Roland Garros since Rafael Nadal won the title here in 2008 aged 22 years 5 days. If he is to make it through today, he will have to end his losing streak in Grand Slam semifinals – Tsitsipas has lost all 3 of the Grand Slam semifinal matches he has contested, including defeats in the last 4 at Roland Garros last year and the Australian Open earlier this year. • Zverev has enjoyed more success in Grand Slam semifinals, having won one of the 2 major semifinals he has contested – he recovered from 0-2 down to defeat Pablo Carreno Busta in the last 4 at the US Open last year to reach his maiden Grand Slam final. Should he win today, Zverev will become the 2nd German man in the Open Era to reach the Roland Garros final, after Michael Stich, who finished runner-up here in 1996. He will have to record his first victory against a Top 10 opponent at a Grand Slam if he is to progress today. • In the 2nd semifinal, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal face off for the 17th time at the Grand Slams and the 58th time overall, with Nadal aiming to draw level in his rivalry with Djokovic. The Serb currently leads the overall headto-head 29-28 – but Nadal has the edge at the Grand Slams (10-6), at Roland Garros (7-1) and on clay (19-7). This will be the pair’s first meeting prior to the final of a tournament since 2018 Wimbledon, when Djokovic won an enthralling 5-set semifinal clash. This is the most-played men’s singles match at Tour-level in the Open Era and, following today’s match, it will also be the joint-most-played men’s singles match at the Grand Slams in the Open Era – equalling the number of Grand Slam matches that Djokovic has played against Roger Federer. • The prize for the winner of the match between Djokovic and Nadal will be a 29th appearance in a Grand Slam final. Djokovic and Nadal are currently level on 28 Grand Slam final appearances each, and both will be keen to close the gap on Federer, who has reached the title match at the Grand Slams on 31 occasions. However, Nadal has a comfortable lead when it comes to Roland Garros final appearances. The Spaniard is aiming to reach his 14th final here, while Djokovic is bidding to reach his 6th final in Paris and equal Bjorn Borg in 2nd place on the all-time list for most appearances in the Roland Garros men’s singles final.
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