Nadal retired last year at the same age, while Roger Federer stepped away in 2022 at age 41. Djokovic failed to show his best in the loss to Sinner, 23, after struggling at times to keep up with his power, whiffing on a forehand attempt early in the match and missing an easy lob at the net during the decisive third-set tiebreaker.

Sinner is set to face off against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the French Open final on Sunday. “These are rare and special moments,” Sinner told reporters. “I’m very happy.”

The erstwhile king of clay, nine-time champion Rafael Nadal, had been deposed in the quarterfinal, and the man who had dished out that comprehensive defeat, Novak Djokovic, would assume the throne. Advertisement Djokovic was the dominant world No.