Dj Vnyash
Novak Djokovic is anxiously awaiting news on whether a knee injury will hinder his quest for an Olympic gold medal after making it to the semi-finals on Thursday, coinciding with Andy Murray’s retirement announcement.
In a thrilling day at Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen halted Iga Swiatek’s impressive 25-match unbeaten run in Paris, becoming the first Chinese player to reach an Olympic singles final.
Defending men’s champion Alexander Zverev was eliminated and criticized the congested schedule of the Games.
Djokovic expressed hope for a positive outcome after worsening his right knee injury, which required surgery in June, during his quarter-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 6-3, 7-6 (7/3).
The 37-year-old required medical treatment and a painkiller after slipping on the baseline of Court Philippe Chatrier. He managed to rally from 0-4 and then 2-5 down in the second set, saving three set points in the ninth game before dominating the tie-break.
Djokovic will face Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti in the semi-finals on Friday.
“I’m concerned about the state of my knee. I need to consult with medical staff and then see,” Djokovic said. “I’m scheduled to play at 7:00 pm tomorrow, which gives me a bit more time. I’m hoping to be ready and staying optimistic.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is still in pursuit of his first Olympic gold, having previously secured only a bronze in Beijing in 2008, and this marks his fourth Olympic semi-final appearance.
Musetti surprised Zverev with a score of 7-5, 7-5, making him the first Italian to reach the semi-finals since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988.
Zverev attributed part of his defeat to illness and criticized the schedule as “a disgrace,” noting that he had played his quarter-final less than 24 hours after his previous match.
Carlos Alcaraz, returning to Roland Garros after winning his first French Open in June, became the youngest Olympic semi-finalist since Djokovic in 2008, overcoming 13th-ranked Tommy Paul of the U.S. 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) after coming back from a break down in the second set and saving a set point in the tie-break.
“It’s all about the fight,” said the 21-year-old Alcaraz, who played the day after he and Rafael Nadal experienced a tough doubles loss that may have been the veteran’s last appearance at Roland Garros.
Alcaraz will next compete against Felix Auger-Aliassime, who defeated sixth-seeded Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open runner-up, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 6-3.
Murray’s career concluded when he and Dan Evans lost to Americans Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4 in the men’s doubles quarter-finals. The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam winner, 37, had already announced that the Olympics would be his final event.
“I’m proud of my career, my achievements, and what I’ve contributed to the sport,” Murray reflected. “It was emotional, as this is the last competitive match I’ll play, but I genuinely feel happy right now. I’m content with how it ended.”
Zheng, ranked seventh, triumphed over world number one Swiatek 6-2, 7-5 and will face Donna Vekic in Saturday’s gold medal match. Vekic advanced with a dominant 6-4, 6-0 victory over Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.
“If you ask me to play another three hours for my country, I would,” said Zheng, who had battled through two back-to-back three-hour matches to reach the semi-finals.
Swiatek, 23, a four-time French Open champion, had previously defeated Zheng in all six of their encounters but was outperformed by the powerful 21-year-old Australian Open finalist.
Zheng makes history as the first Chinese player, male or female, to reach an Olympic singles gold medal match, surpassing Li Na’s fourth-place finish in the women’s event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. China’s only Olympic tennis gold came from Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in the women’s doubles at the 2004 Athens Games.
