Startling Numbers Emerge to Give 20-Year-Old Carlos Alcaraz a Thumping Edge Over Novak Djokovic Ahead of French Open Semi Final Showdown for the Ages

Fasten your seatbelts if you haven’t already, as we are in for a blockbuster Roland Garros semi-final on Friday. The world number 1, Carlos Alcaraz, takes on the 22-time major champion Novak Djokovic for the clash of the tournament. Alcaraz came into the tournament with titles in Barcelona and Madrid while Djokovic failed to win a single title in the clay swing this time around. However, the 36-year-old Serb has started to find his form and his level in the last two sets of the quarter-final against Karen Khachanov was very convincing.

The job gets extremely difficult for the bookmakers when it comes to providing the odds for such ties. One would expect the more experienced campaigner to come out as the slight favorite. But, the bookmakers’ faith in Carlos Alcaraz appears to be rather perplexing.

The bookmakers expect Carlos Alcaraz to defeat Novak Djokovic

Despite Djokovic’s wealth of experience and titles, he finds himself as the underdog in a clash against the young Spaniard. The Serb has lost only two matches at the slam level since the start of 2021. However, one cannot undermine the level Carlos Alcaraz has shown in this tournament so far.

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The world number 1 registered straight-set victories over Denis Shapovalov, Lorenzo Musetti, and Stefanos Tsitsipas while making them all look helpless on the court. This certainly played a big part in those startling numbers. Also, the fact that Djokovic might struggle in a long physical battle given his age must have prompted the bookmakers into making Carlos Alcaraz the overwhelming favorite.

According to William Hill, Alcaraz has a 67% probability of winning the semi-final while as per Paddy Power, the Spaniard has a 63% win probability.

Considering the pressure aspect, Djokovic has history on the line here. This match could be a pivotal moment in the never-ending slam race between him, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.

What could Djokovic potentially achieve at the Roland Garros?

Novak Djokovic has a chance to create history at the Roland Garros. He can lead the slam race for the first time in his career by winning the trophy on Sunday. The Serb had the opportunity to go one-up on Rafael Nadal at the US Open 2021. But the pressure got the better of him. Aside from leading the slam race, Novak Djokovic could also become the first male player to complete the triple career slam by winning all four slams at least three times.

Will Djokovic create history at the Roland Garros and strengthen his case as the greatest player of all time? Or will Carlos Alcaraz prove the bookmakers right and stop the Serb from glory?

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