Jannik Sinner said it "doesn't get any bigger" than facing Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final, after ending Novak Djokovic's latest tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title in the last four on Friday.
Novak Djokovic suggested he may well have bidden adieu to Roland Garros after the 38-year-old was defeated in the semifinals by Jannik Sinner on Friday.
"Jannik is in tremendous form, and he has been the best player for the last couple of years," said Djokovic.
Jannik Sinner booked himself a second consecutive semi-final appearance at Roland Garros on Wednesday with a typically ruthless straight-sets victory over unseeded Kazakh Alexander Bublik.
Novak Djokovic eased into a record-breaking 19th Roland Garros quarter-final with a comfortable straight-sets victory over Cameron Norrie on Monday.
Football fan Djokovic may have missed the majority of PSG's 5-0 demolition of Inter, but the Serb told reporters after his win the final made its presence felt on court in Paris.
He is through to the last 32 in Paris for the 20th time, more than even 14-time champion Rafael Nadal managed.
Novak Djokovic got his tilt at a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam title off to a solid start on Tuesday as the Serb beat Mackenzie McDonald 6-3, 6-3, 6-3 in the first round of the French Open.
The 38-year-old Djokovic starts off against 98th-ranked American Mackenzie McDonald, three days after becoming only the third man to win 100 ATP titles with his victory in Geneva.
Djokovic stunned the tennis world in November when he hired the retired Murray, who had no track record as a coach.
The fourth-seeded Djokovic suffered a second consecutive opening defeat, after losing his opener against Alejandro Tabilo in Monte Carlo two weeks ago.
Djokovic, who is eyeing his 100th tour-level title before the French Open starts on May 25, said no player would ever be bigger than tennis.
The fifth-ranked Djokovic struggled to find his rhythm in a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the second round, making an inauspicious start to his clay season.
Djokovic said that Mensik would only get better after becoming the second youngest Miami champion since Carlos Alcaraz, who won the trophy in 2022 as an 18-year-old.
Argentina great Lionel Messi and his family watched tennis legend Novak Djokovic dominate Grigor Dimitrov in the Miami Open semifinal yesterday.
According to Novak Djokovic, he is playing his best tennis in a “long time”, and the Serb got rated as 8 out of 10 by one of the sons of Lionel Messi -- another athlete who has been nearly perfect his entire career.
A victory at Miami would be a landmark 100th singles title for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
A tennis union co-founded by Novak Djokovic on Tuesday announced a series of legal actions aimed at the sport's governing bodies, alleging "anticompetitive restraints and abusive practices".
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic crashed out in his Indian Wells ATP Masters opener on Saturday, just the latest proof that "things are different" now for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
