It confirmed what keen tennis observers had long suspected – Alcaraz as a rare talent – and the memory is burning in Djokovic's mind ahead of Friday's blockbuster rematch in the Roland-Garros semis.<\/a><\/p>\n Watch Roland-Garros 2023, every match ad free and on demand.<\/strong><\/em> Centre court coverage in 4K UHD on Stan Sport<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n "I've always tried to think, what are the common denominators of the great players across the years?" Australian great Wally Masur said on Stan Sport's Grand Slam Daily<\/em>.<\/p>\n "And it's very hard, different personalities, game styles, but they all have total recall.<\/p>\n "I guarantee you he could have gone back to that match and defined the moment where he might have lost a break point or something happened to turn the tide.<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Greg Norman kept in dark before LIV bombshell<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> Bulldogs pushing hard for Dragons halfback Ben Hunt<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/strong> 'Really unhappy' players call for 'hypocrite' PGA boss to quit<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanSportAU\/status\/1666324108034953216?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n "It's unbelievable how and I think that helps them in their decision making, you know. This information comes in, they make quick decisions."<\/p>\n Alcaraz stands between Djokovic and a record 23rd major title and will be guaranteed of retaining his world No.1 status if he can go 2-0 against the Serbian superstar.<\/p>\n Alcaraz stormed into the semis with a \ufeff6-2, 6-1, 7-6 romp over fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas<\/a>.<\/p>\n "He was perfect for about two hours," Masur said.<\/p>\n "He was absolutely at the very top of his game and he takes chances, you know, he really has to execute and he did it so beautifully. He's not a one trick pony…<\/p>\n "It was unbelievably impressive. This was another level… the tennis that he's playing, it's superb. He's getting better. He's going to play his best tennis in three or four years. Look out.\ufeff"<\/p>\n https:\/\/twitter.com\/StanSportAU\/status\/1666256158766813184?s=20<\/a><\/p>\n Djokovic was made to work a little harder in his 4-6, 7-6, 6-2, 6-4 quarter-final victory over 11th seed Karen Khachanov.<\/p>\n Masur said the 36-year-old was a little scratchy in the first two sets as Khachanov came out taking risks and throwing punches.<\/p>\n But Djokovic's 7-0 tiebreak masterclass was another reminder of his unrivalled nerve and consistency under pressure.\ufeff<\/p>\n "\ufeffHis instincts just came to the fore and from that moment on there was no contest," Masur said.<\/p>\n "He stamped his authority on that third set and just went from strength to strength. I don't know what it is about these great players.<\/p>\n "The bigger the moment, they find their best tennis every time. You know, usually in the big moment, a little bit of doubt creeps in. Everybody's got a wing or a shot that you're not completely confident with that can fall apart.<\/p>\n "Not so with Novak, the bigger the moment, he steps up."<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, Masur believed the winner of Alcaraz vs Djokovic would likely go on to win the title although there was a chance \ufeff"they could be a little beaten up and maybe someone from the bottom half can take advantage in the final."<\/p>\n Former French star Fabrice Santoro told Stan Sport that Alcaraz had been the most impressive player in the men's draw but was tipping Djokovic to prevail.\ufeff<\/p>\n "He will have a good chance to lift the trophy," Santoro said.<\/p>\n "I can't be 100 per cent sure… but I would put one coin on Novak."<\/p>\n For a daily dose of the best of the breaking news and exclusive content from Wide World of Sports, subscribe to our newsletter by<\/strong><\/em> clicking here<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
![\"Alcaraz](\"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/alcaraz.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Edgy](\"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/tn-edgy.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"Carlos](\"https:\/\/sportinfo.pro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/ea64124b-833a-4ec2-a182-4aacc76e85a1-scaled.jpg\")
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