The Serbian, who dropped his first set of the tournament during his quarter-final defeat of Karen Khachanov, is a machine of nerveless winning mentality and immense physical preparation despite struggling during the majority of the European clay court season. Novak Djokovic's route to yet another French Open semi-final has been as serene as Alcaraz's.

Motivation isn't exactly hard to come by Alcaraz is going for his first French title, while also trying to keep mentor and compatriot Rafael Nadal tied with his opponent on a joint-record 22 Grand Slam men's singles titles. The Spaniard has dropped just one set from his five wins to the last four, his 6-2, 6-1, 7-6 (5) destruction of fifth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas was a visceral demonstration of the brutal groundstrokes that define the 20-year-old's game. The Spaniard is the youngest-ever world number one, won his first Grand Slam at last year's US Open, and announced himself to the wider tennis world at Roland Garros last year before falling to Alexander Zverev in the quarter-finals. It's hard to believe but this is Carlos Alcaraz's first French Open semi-final. ► Watch anywhere - Try ExpressVPN 100% risk free

Alcaraz vs Djokovic is scheduled today (Friday, June 9) not before 8.45 a.m.

Download live stream cbs free