Sinner's very solid semi-final against Djokovic at Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner put in a great performance to defeat Novak Djokovic (6-4, 7-5, 7-6 [3]) on Friday in the semi-finals of Roland-Garros. His serve in particular made an impression. The only problem was his first-serve percentage: 51% over the entire match, including 43% in the first set. But that didn't hurt him.

Looking at aces, the world number 1 has hit 10. He had 20 aces in five matches, averaging 4 per match. And he reached his highest total so far in the round of 16 and quarterfinals with 5 aces, averaging less than 2 per set. Sinner also makes very few double faults. He only committed one against the Serb, adding to the one against Alexander Bublik in the quarterfinals. He therefore has only two double faults since the start of the tournament.

Against Djokovic, arguably the greatest receiver in history, his percentage of points won behind his first serve is impressive: 79% (45 points won out of 57). His stats were especially excellent in the first (90%, 9 points won out of 10) and third sets (85%, 23 points won out of 27).

Even behind his second serve, Sinner performed very well, winning 63% of his points. The first set was perfect for him: he won 11 of 13 points behind his second, for a success rate of 85%. In the first set alone, he only conceded three points behind his serve and did not concede a single break point.

His serve saved him on numerous occasions during tense or potentially tense moments. He had six break points to save during this match. And he saved five of them. Two of the three third-set points he saved deserve attention. On the first, he served an excellent second serve, which allowed him to dictate the rally, which he concluded with an impeccable topspin volley on his forehand. On the second, he served a 203 km/h winner to the tee, on the advantage side.

Serving will obviously be one of the keys to the final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday. Earlier in the day, the Spaniard didn't shine in this regard. During the first set of his semi-final win against Lorenzo Musetti , he served only 41% of first serves. And, in a nervous state, he notably committed a double fault in the game that allowed the Italian to level at 6-6 in the second set.