Novak Djokovic says Carlos Alcaraz is "as complete a player as they come", after setting up a rematch with the Spaniard in this year's Wimbledon final.

The seven-time champion booked his place in a 10th SW19 showpiece - and sixth in a row - following a straight-sets victory over Lorenzo Musetti on Centre Court.

Reigning champion Alcaraz once again stands in the way of an eighth Wimbledon crown - and record-breaking 25th major title - with Djokovic aiming to avenge his defeat by the Spaniard in last year's final.

And the Serb paid tribute to the 21-year-old, who is eyeing a fourth career major and second of the season - adding to last month's French Open triumph.

"He's a great example of a player that has an all-round balance," Djokovic said.

"He has a great team around him, great values in his life, a lot of charisma and is someone who carries himself superbly. That's one of the reasons why he is so popular.

"He's one of the greatest 21-year-olds we've ever seen, and we're going to see a lot of him in the future, no doubt. He's going to win many Grand Slams, but hopefully not in two days. He can do it when I retire.

"He already beat me here in a Wimbledon final in a five-set thriller, so I don't expect anything less than a huge battle. He is as complete a player as they come, so it's going to take the best of my ability to beat him."

Djokovic's run to the final is all the more remarkable considering he underwent knee surgery just over a month ago following his withdrawal from Roland-Garros.

And despite the initial uncertainty surrounding his participation in the grass-court major, he is thrilled with the strides he has made in such a short space of time.

"There was plenty of doubt," admitted Djokovic. "I came into London eight days before the tournament started. I didn’t know [if I would play] and was keeping everything open until the day of the draw.

"I played a couple of practice sets with top players and that proved to me that I was in a good enough state to not just be in Wimbledon, but to go deep into the tournament. That kind of mentality is there and is ever present.

"I'm obviously very, very pleased and satisfied to get to another final, but I don't want to stop there."

Novak Djokovic says Carlos Alcaraz is "as complete a player as they come", after setting up a rematch with the Spaniard in this year's Wimbledon final.

The seven-time champion booked his place in a 10th SW19 showpiece - and sixth in a row - following a straight-sets victory over Lorenzo Musetti on Centre Court.

Reigning champion Alcaraz once again stands in the way of an eighth Wimbledon crown - and record-breaking 25th major title - with Djokovic aiming to avenge his defeat by the Spaniard in last year's final.

And the Serb paid tribute to the 21-year-old, who is eyeing a fourth career major and second of the season - adding to last month's French Open triumph.

"He's a great example of a player that has an all-round balance," Djokovic said.

"He has a great team around him, great values in his life, a lot of charisma and is someone who carries himself superbly. That's one of the reasons why he is so popular.

"He's one of the greatest 21-year-olds we've ever seen, and we're going to see a lot of him in the future, no doubt. He's going to win many Grand Slams, but hopefully not in two days. He can do it when I retire.

"He already beat me here in a Wimbledon final in a five-set thriller, so I don't expect anything less than a huge battle. He is as complete a player as they come, so it's going to take the best of my ability to beat him."

Djokovic's run to the final is all the more remarkable considering he underwent knee surgery just over a month ago following his withdrawal from Roland-Garros.

And despite the initial uncertainty surrounding his participation in the grass-court major, he is thrilled with the strides he has made in such a short space of time.

"There was plenty of doubt," admitted Djokovic. "I came into London eight days before the tournament started. I didn’t know [if I would play] and was keeping everything open until the day of the draw.

"I played a couple of practice sets with top players and that proved to me that I was in a good enough state to not just be in Wimbledon, but to go deep into the tournament. That kind of mentality is there and is ever present.

"I'm obviously very, very pleased and satisfied to get to another final, but I don't want to stop there."

Novak Djokovic will play Carlos Alcaraz in the 2024 Wimbledon final following a straight-set triumph over Lorenzo Musetti on Centre Court. 

Djokovic set up a repeat of the tournament's showpiece a year ago, reaching his 10th SW19 final after emerging a 6-4 7-6 (2-7) 6-4 victor against the Italian. 

The encounter started with incredible intensity, with both players trading blows in an attempt to gain the early advantage. 

However, Djokovic would get the decisive break point in the sixth game, only for Musetti to break back soon after, but the Serbian was able to hold to take the first set. 

The seven-time Wimbledon champion was made to work for his two-set advantage, with his Italian opponent holding onto hopes of completing an unlikely win. 

Musetti produced arguably the shot of the afternoon, striking a stunning backhand to end a 15-shot rally which brought applauds from Djokovic.

But it proved to be in vain as Djokovic showcased his class in the tie break, edging closer to a 97th triumph in SW19. 

The Serbian's victory was confirmed after two hours and 48 minutes worth of action, but could have finished a lot sooner as he squanderd three match points in the final set.

Musetti had the chance to break back to keep the game alive but sent his forehand into the top of the net, with Djokovic making no mistake at the fourth time of asking. 

The world number two will be hopeful of rectifying his defeat to Alcaraz 12 months ago, with another exciting match in store following their five-set thriller that saw the Spaniard claim his maiden Wimbledon crown. 

Data Debrief: Djokovic's Wimbledon love story continues

Djokovic claimed his 97th career men's singles triumph at Wimbledon, surpassing Roland-Garros (96) for the outright most he has recorded at a single ATP-level event. 

He surpassed Chris Evert (96) to go out on his own in fourth place on the all-time list for the most SW19 singles victories among men and women. 

Only Serena Williams (98), Roger Federer (105) and Martina Navratilova (120) have won more.

The Serbian reached his sixth consecutive men's singles final at Wimbledon, matching Bjorn Borg (six, 1976-81). Only Roger Federer (seven, 2003-09) has made more finals in consecutive editions of the event in the Open Era. 

Novak Djokovic will take on Lorenzo Musetti for a place in the Wimbledon final, after the Italian overcame Taylor Fritz on Wednesday.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic received a walkover for his quarter-final tie after Alex De Minaur withdrew due to a hip injury.

And the Serbian will be fancied to reach his 10th final at the All England Club, though 25th seed Musetti, who was the runner-up at Queen's before Wimbledon began, will be out to cause an upset.

Musetti joined compatriot Jasmine Paolini in reaching the last four, as he prevailed 3-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2 3-6 6-1 over 13th seed Fritz.

"I probably have no words. It's tough to speak but I'll try my best," said the 22-year-old after reaching his first major semi-final.

"We were joking about trying to play on the big stage at Wimbledon. I've never tried Court One and Centre Court. I played a fantastic match because Taylor was in great shape."

Data Debrief: In good company

Musetti has become the only the fifth player in the Open Era to reach at least three ATP-level semi-finals in a single season before turning 23, after Paul Connors (1974), Vitas Gerulaitis (1977), John McEnroe (1980) and Pat Cash (1987).

After reaching the Stuttgart and Queen's semi-finals, Musetti is the first Italian in the Open Era to reach three or more ATP event semi-finals on grass in a calendar year.

Tommy Paul claimed his first title on grass with a straight-sets victory over Lorenzo Musetti at the Queen's Championship on Sunday.

It took the American just 88 minutes to get his 6-1 7-6 (10-8) win after a front-footed, aggressive approach.

Paul cruised through the opening set but looked like he might be forced into a decider after failing to serve out the match at 5-4.

The Italian edged them into a tie-break, but Paul rallied from 1-4 down to get his hands on the title.

His 27th tour-level win of the season also ensured he will surpass Taylor Fritz to become the American number one for the first time in his career on Monday.

Data Debrief: Paul hits cruise control

It was a dominant performance from Paul throughout Queen's as he only dropped a single set on his way to capturing his third ATP Tour title.

On Sunday, he made just six unforced errors as he came out on top in his first-ever meeting with Musetti.

Lorenzo Musetti will play Tommy Paul in the final of the Queen's Championship following an exceptional day of action in West Kensington.

In the first game of the afternoon, Italian Musetti edged a three-set encounter 3-6, 6-3, 3-6 against Jordan Thompson to be the first to book his place in Sunday's final. 

Having won the opening set, Thompson fought back to take the game to a decider. Despite saving five break points in the eighth game, the Australian was eventually beaten as Musetti booked his place in his first grass final. 

Later that afternoon, Paul came through an all-American contest in straight sets, emerging a 6-4, 7-6 (7-1) victor over Sebastian Korda to set up a maiden encounter with the Italian. 

27-year-old Paul quickly found a break in the second game against his opponent and despite Korda replying with a break of his own in the seventh game, was unable to recover from his slow start. 

The second set flowed with both players trading break points, but an error-strewn display from Korda allowed Paul to see out the contest with relative ease to become the first American finalist at Queen's since 2010

Data Debrief: Musetti faces 

Musetti maintained his unbeaten record against his Australian opponent, having won their previous encounter in straight sets in Adelaide back in January. The Italian also won 45 of his 62 first-serve points, a success rate of 73%. 

After three consecutive defeats against Korda, Paul has now won two of his last three meetings with his compatriot. However, his opponent bettered him on first-serve points, winning 74% compared to Paul's 62%. 

Andy Murray celebrated his 1,000th match on the ATP Tour with a battling victory over Alexei Popyrin at the Queen's Club Championships on Tuesday.

The 37-year-old became the fifth active male player to hit quadruple figures for tour-level matches, marking the milestone with a 6-3 3-6 6-3 victory to snap a four-match losing streak.

Murray holds the record for Queen's titles with five and will look to go deep in this tournament once more when he meets Australia's Jordan Thompson in the second round.

The two-time Wimbledon champion acknowledged the struggles of his lengthy career after this first-round triumph, though suggested he did not know about the landmark moment until just before play.

"I didn't realise, but my mum told me before the match that this was my 1000th match on the tour," Murray said in his on-court interview.

"A lot of matches and a lot of wear and tear in the body and it is not easy but I managed to push through."

Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Fernando Verdasco and Richard Gasquet are the other active men's players to hit the 1,000-match mark.

That longevity has served well for Murray, who won his first match at the tournament in 2005 and holds a 32-9 record at the ATP 500 grass-court event since.

"During the match, it is difficult but great reward at the end for the hard work and effort I put into the match," Murray added.

"I have not got too many wins this year, it has been a difficult season but did well to come through in the end. Held quite a few tight service games and managed to serve it out well."

Alex de Minaur overcame Murray at Queen's last year en route to the final before losing out to Carlos Alcaraz, who also secured the Wimbledon title after.

Yet De Minaur will not have the chance to make the showpiece of the Wimbledon warm-up this time around, after losing out to Lorenzo Musetti.

The Italian swept the second seed aside with a 1-6 6-4 6-2 victory, teeing up a second-round meeting with Brandon Nakashima.

Novak Djokovic revealed he was close to quitting against Francisco Cerundolo with a knee injury, before forcing his way through the pain barrier and into the French Open quarter-finals.

The reigning champion, who is eyeing a record-breaking 25th major singles title this week, came through a second successive five-set epic to book his place in the last eight at Roland-Garros.

Djokovic finished his third-round clash with Lorenzo Musetti after 3am in the early hours of Sunday morning, and was on Court Philippe-Chatrier over four-and-a-half hours to battle past Cerundolo.

Although, the Serb looked like he could be heading for an early exit when he required treatment for a knee problem in the second set, having dominated the first 6-1.

It certainly affected the three-time champion as he fell two sets to one behind before receiving medication for the issue.

Djokovic dug deep from 4-2 down in the fourth set to force a decider, which he subsequently controlled to scrape over the line a 6-1 5-7 3-6 7-5 6-3 winner.

"For the last couple of weeks, I have had slight discomfort in my right knee, but I haven't had an injury that would concern me at all," he told reporters during his post-match press conference.

"I was playing a few tournaments with it, and had no issues until today. I actually felt great coming into the match - as good as I could under the circumstances - and played really well [in the] first set. 

"Then, in the third game of the second set, I slipped, one of the many times that I slipped and fell today. That affected the knee. I started feeling the pain and asked for the physio treatment and the medical timeout, and tried to take care of it. 

"It did disrupt me definitely in play. For two sets, two sets and a half, I didn't want to stay in the rally too long. Every time he would make sudden drop shots or change directions, I would not be feeling comfortable doing the running.

"At one point, I didn't know whether I should continue or not with what was happening. I got the medication, and then after the third set was done, I asked for more medication, and I got it.

"I don't know how I won. I don't know what will happen tomorrow or if I'll be able to step out on the court and play. I hope so. Let's see what happens."

Next up for Djokovic is a quarter-final meeting with two-time runner-up Casper Ruud, and what will be a repeat of last year's final.

Coco Gauff warned tennis must do more to protect player welfare after Novak Djokovic's remarkable late finish at the French Open on Saturday.

Djokovic edged a five-set thriller with Lorenzo Musetti, battling into the early hours of Sunday in Paris at Roland-Garros.

The third-round marathon finished at 3:08 a.m. local time in the French capital, shattering the tournament's previous latest finish of 1:25 a.m.

After overcoming Elisabetta Cocciaretto to reach the quarter-finals, Gauff lamented the late start times and the problems it could cause for both men and women's players.

"I feel like a lot of times people think you're done, but really at 3 a.m. [you're] probably not going to bed until 5 a.m. at the earliest, maybe 6 a.m. or 7 a.m.," said 2023 US Open women's champion Gauff.

"I definitely think it's not healthy.

"For the health and safety of the players, it would be in the sport's best interest to try to avoid those matches finishing or starting after a certain time."

The ATP and WTA tours brought a new ruling in January that matches cannot start after 11 pm local time.

That legislation does not apply to the four majors, though, and hits harder for the men playing best-of-five encounters.

World number one Iga Swiatek, who overcame Anastasi Potapova on Sunday, echoed Gauff's sentiment.

"It's not easy to play and it's not like we're going to fall asleep one hour after the match," said Swiatek.

"[Change] is not up to us. We need to accept anything that is going to come to us."

Novak Djokovic was in the mood for partying after surviving a thriller against Lorenzo Musetti, describing the performance as his greatest French Open showing.

The world number one battled long into the Paris night to secure a 7-5 6-7 (6-8) 2-6 6-3 6-0 victory in four hours and 29 minutes across Saturday and into Sunday.

The third-round marathon finished at 3:08 a.m. local time at Roland-Garros, shattering the tournament's previous latest finish of 1:25 a.m.

This victory also saw Djokovic equal Roger Federer (369) for the most major singles match wins of any male or female player in the Open Era.

"He played a fantastic match and came very close to victory," Djokovic said on court.

"I was in great difficulties but thanks to your support in the fourth set, I became a different player. It was perhaps the best match I have played here."

A stunning fightback also marked Djokovic's 36th five-set win at grand slams – the most of any player in the Open Era.

The 24-time major champion next faces Argentina's Francisco Cerundolo, who advanced to the fourth round for the second consecutive year.

Yet before that, the Serbian wanted to celebrate.

"Who's going to sleep now?" Djokovic added. "It's impossible to sleep, so much adrenaline. If you're having a party, I'm coming."

Djokovic must reach the final in the French capital to remain at the top of the ATP rankings, though Jannik Sinner would overtake him regardless if he reaches the showpiece.

Novak Djokovic eased through to the French Open third round following another straight-sets victory over Roberto Carballes Baena at Roland-Garros.

The reigning champion, who is seeking a record-breaking 25th grand slam singles title, took just over two hours to wrap up a 6-4 6-1 6-2 win and set up a showdown with either Gael Monfils or Lorenzo Musetti in round three.

Not since the 2017 Australian Open has Djokovic failed to progress beyond the second round at a major.

It looked like the Serb would be in for a tough battle as Carballes Baena broke in the opening game, though he did respond immediately before the first set appeared finely poised at 4-4 and deuce.

Djokovic subsequently drew first blood, and it was very much one-way traffic thereon.

Indeed, from 4-4 in that first set, the world number one won 14 of the next 17 games to sail into the last 32.

Data Debrief: Djokovic surpasses Nadal at Roland-Garros

The undisputed 'King of Clay', Nadal's record of 14 French Open titles looks highly unlikely to be under any severe threat in the near future.

However, Djokovic has surpassed the Spaniard by reaching round three at Roland-Garros for a 19th time in his 20 appearances - the most appearances by any player during the Open Era.

The Serb also notched up his 94th match win at the French Open. That is his joint-most at a single ATP event in his career, matching is tally at the Australian Open, where he is a 10-time champion.

Carlos Alcaraz continued his fine record at the Madrid Open with an emphatic 6-2 6-1 victory over Alexander Shevchenko on Friday.

The two-time defending champion made it 12 straight wins at his home tournament to ensure he will face Brazilian Thiago Seyboth Wild in the last 32.

Alcaraz was playing his first match on the ATP Tour since March 28 after being unable to compete in the Monte-Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to an arm injury.

But he was still able to make a fine start to his clay-court season, breaking serve in the first game and racing to victory in only one hour and eight minutes.

Data Debrief

Sometimes the scoreline can be harsh on a beaten player, but on this occasion Alcaraz was clearly dominant, breaking the Kazakh seven times in the match and forcing 11 break-point opportunities while conceding only three for his opponent.

That allowed the Spaniard to claim a dominant victory despite being broken once in each set. He will now turn his attention to a clash with Seyboth Wild, who battled past Lorenzo Musetti with a 6-4 6-4 win.

British interest in singles at the French Open ended after Cameron Norrie lost meekly to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round, castigating his attitude and performance in a 6-1 6-2 6-4 defeat.

Novak Djokovic survived the longest three-set match of his grand slam career, battling past Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in three hours and 36 minutes, while Carlos Alcaraz had a much easier time against Denis Shapovalov.

In the women’s event, Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka reached round four for the first time but third seed Jessica Pegula is out.

Picture of the dayTweet of the day

Naomi Osaka and boyfriend Cordae are expecting a girl.

Shot of the dayStat of the day

A disastrous first week for the home country, who began with 28 players in the main singles draws.

Fritz earns Mac approval

Not surprisingly, Taylor Fritz’s baiting of the French crowd in his late-night win over Arthur Rinderknech was right up John McEnroe’s street. “I like to see a little confrontation,” said Eurosport pundit McEnroe. The booing was so loud that the on-court interview was limited to one question.

China return

The WTA announced earlier this year that it would be ending its boycott of China over the Peng Shuai affair. Details of the autumn calendar have now been announced, with seven tournaments taking place in the country, including the WTA Finals in Shenzhen.

Fallen seeds

Men: Andrey Rublev (7), Hubert Hurkacz (13), Cameron Norrie (14), Alejandro Davidovich Fokina (29).
Women: Jessica Pegula (3), Anastasia Potapova (24), Irina-Camelia Begu (27).

Who’s up next?

The boot will be on the other foot for 19-year-old Coco Gauff when she takes on Russian Mirra Andreeva, three years her junior, in the third round on Saturday. Defending champion Iga Swiatek meets Wang Xinyu of China while fourth seed Elena Rybakina plays Spain’s Sara Sorribes Tormo. The night session again features a men’s match – Alexander Zverev up against Frances Tiafoe – while Casper Ruud and Holger Rune are also in action.

Cameron Norrie criticised his own attitude and performance after his French Open campaign ended with a straight-sets loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.

It is the third year in a row the British number one has fallen in the last 32, and he only managed to mount any real challenge in the third set before going down 6-1 6-2 6-4.

There is certainly no disgrace in losing to 21-year-old Musetti, who is ranked only five places below Norrie and whose best surface is clay, but the 14th seed was hugely disappointed by the manner of what is one of his worst grand slam losses in terms of scoreline.

The result, meanwhile, brings an end to British singles hopes at a tournament where only three players even made the start line.

“I came out very flat and I’m disappointed with the attitude in the first couple of sets,” said a very downbeat Norrie.

“It was very, very slow conditions, very heavy, and I was not prepared for it to be that slow. For me, I can play bad and everything, but I was just very flat and disappointed to have a performance like that.

“The first two sets he didn’t really do too much and he was up two sets to love. For a player like myself, I can’t afford to give that much of an edge.

“There is no excuses to play the level that I did today. I missed so many easy short balls and I lost so many points within a couple of shots where usually I can win a lot of those ones.

“I didn’t come prepared. I was changing rackets throughout the match. It was a bit colder today but I’m good enough to not let that bother me.”

Norrie lost to Musetti in Barcelona recently but spoke positively after his second-round victory over Lucas Pouille about what he had learned from that clash.

He was immediately on the back foot, though, dropping serve in the opening game against the stylish Italian and swiftly losing the opening set.

The second was no better, with Musetti too often finding an answer to everything Norrie could throw at him, and the 17th seed went a break up early in the third as well.

Norrie was staring at his worst slam loss but he at least made a fist of it, breaking Musetti, who had lost from two sets up on both of his previous appearances at Roland Garros, back and creating two chances to break for 5-3.

The Italian held firm, though, and drilled a forehand past Norrie to break again before serving out the victory.

Norrie is known for a relentless work ethic and never-say-die attitude so to hear him talk about a lack of preparation and unwillingness to stay in points is certainly concerning.

The 27-year-old has maintained a relentless schedule to help him get to and then stay at the top of the game so it would be understandable if he felt mentally fatigued, but he dismissed the suggestion.

“I’ve played a lot of matches,” he said. “I think I can use that to my advantage. I’ve played more matches maybe than anyone else on the tour in the last maybe three years. I can say that’s a good thing.

“And then even going into this match today, I was thinking I’ve won more matches than Musetti this year, I’ve won bigger matches than him. I think I’m playing better than him on the clay. I was really confident going into it.”

Norrie will now head back to London and turn his attention to the grass-court swing a year on from his run to the Wimbledon semi-finals.

Cameron Norrie’s French Open campaign ended in disappointing fashion with a straight-sets loss to Lorenzo Musetti in the third round.

It is the third year in a row the British number one has fallen in the last 32, and he only managed to mount any real challenge in the third set before going down 6-1 6-2 6-4.

There is certainly no disgrace in losing to 21-year-old Musetti, who is ranked only five places below Norrie and whose best surface is clay, but the 14th seed will be disappointed by the manner of what is one of his worst grand slam losses in terms of scoreline.

The result, meanwhile, brings an end to British singles hopes at a tournament where only three players even made the start line.

Norrie lost to Musetti in Barcelona recently but spoke positively after his second-round victory over Lucas Pouille about what he had learned from that clash.

He was immediately on the back foot, though, dropping serve in the opening game against the stylish Italian and swiftly losing the opening set.

The second was no better, with Musetti too often finding an answer to everything Norrie could throw at him, and the 17th seed went a break up early in the third as well.

Norrie was staring at his worst slam loss but he at least made a fist of it, breaking Musetti, who had lost from two sets up on both of his previous appearances at Roland Garros, back and creating three chances to break for 5-3.

The Italian held firm, though, and drilled a forehand past Norrie to break again before serving out the victory.