Novak Djokovic becomes the second oldest player to reach Roland Garros semifinals: Who holds the record?

After a four-set victory over Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic advanced to the French Open semifinals for the 13th time in his professional career. This Friday, he’ll go up against Jannik Sinner for a spot in the final—but regardless of the outcome, the Serbian star has already achieved a remarkable milestone on the Paris clay.

At 38 years old, Djokovic became the second oldest player to reach the semifinals at Roland Garros since the beginning of the Open Era, which spans the last 57 years. The only player to surpass that feat is American tennis icon Ricardo Alonso ‘Pancho’ Gonzales, who did it in 1968 at the age of 40.

At the time, Gonzales lost to Rod Laver in the semifinals, missing out on the title match—and with it, the trophy. That means Novak now has a chance to break the record as the oldest player to compete in a final at Roland Garros, and possibly even win it. To do that, of course, he’ll first have to get past World No. 1 Sinner.

Djokovic’s record at Roland Garros

Djokovic holds the all-time record for the most Grand Slam titles, with 24 in total. However, among the four majors, the French Open has historically been the most challenging for him. Of his 21 appearances at Roland Garros, the Serbian star has reached the semifinals 13 times, as he has this year—a remarkably high success rate.

Djokovic will face Sinner in the semifinals of the French Open

Still, five times he was eliminated in the semis, falling short of a spot in the championship match. He has lost in the final four times (2012, 2014, 2015, and 2020), while winning the title three times (2016, 2021, and 2023).

see also

Novak Djokovic extends Grand Slam record with win over Zverev to reach Roland Garros semifinal

Djokovic remains focused on winning

Despite being one of the greatest players of all time, Djokovic hasn’t delivered the kind of results recently that fans have come to expect. In fact, between 2024 and 2025, he has won just one tournament on the ATP Tour—the Geneva Open earlier this year. That drop-off has led many to believe that age may finally be catching up with the Serbian star.

“I think at the moment he’s a bit underrated, to be honest,” reflected Alexander Zverev after losing to Djokovic on Wednesday, according to the official website of the ATP Tour. “Funny that you say that, but I think like a lot of people count him out already, but this year he’s had wins over Carlos (Alcaraz) at the Australian Open, he has had a win over me at the French Open. Forget the age. I think for any player, those are pretty good results.”

Djokovic himself spoke about what motivates him to embrace challenges like this one. “Beating one of the best players in the world on the biggest stages is something that I definitely work for, and I still, you know, push myself on a daily basis at this age because of these kinds of matches and these kinds of experiences,” he said after defeating Zverev, according to Tennis.com. “It’s a proven kind of testament to myself that I can and to others that I can still play on the highest level.”