Novak Djokovic's journey to win an all-time record 25th major was halted on Friday after World No. 1 Jannik Sinner beat him in the French Open semifinals in straight sets.
Sinner has been a tough competitor for Djokovic as of late. The Italian is the first player since Andy Roddick in 2009-10 to beat Djokovic four consecutive times—and he's only the fifth player to ever win this many matches in a row vs. Djokovic. That is a pretty incredible accomplishment in tennis, especially as Djokovic has seemed unbeatable in the past and particularly at majors.
Djokovic took some time in his post-match interview to compliment Sinner's performance, despite being sad about the loss.
"Congratulations to Jannik for another very good and solid performance," Djokovic said. "Mentally, he deserves big credit for hanging in there in the tough moments when the whole stadium was cheering. He was set points down and he managed to find some really good shots. He showed why he’s No. 1 in the world. He was just too solid for me tonight.”
The Roland Garros crowd was definitely on Djokovic's side on Friday, which didn't seem to bother Sinner too much. When Djokovic left Court Philippe-Chatrier, he was met with a standing ovation. It's clear the French crowd adores him.
Legend. #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/YtlMVCxpzJ
— Roland-Garros (@rolandgarros) June 6, 2025
Sinner will play against Carlos Alcaraz in the former's first French Open final on Sunday, with a chance to win his third major in a row. The last person to win three majors in a row? You guessed it—Djokovic (2021).
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Novak Djokovic Compliments Sinner's French Open Performance After Semifinals Loss.
