At 36, Djokovic's status as one of men's tennis' all-time greats is already firmly established, but his 20-year-old Spanish opponent has shown signs he could enjoy a similarly glittering career having already won a US Open and reached the world number one spot.

This semi-final was only the second meeting between the pair, and it was shaping up to be a classic until Alcaraz began cramping up in the second game of the third set.

Djokovic had taken the first set 6-3 before Alcaraz hit back 7-5 in the second.

Alcaraz held serve in the first game of the third set, but encountered difficulty at 40-30 to Djokovic in the second.

Suffering from cramp in his right calf, Alcaraz opted to concede the second and third games to get to the changeover and allow a medical timeout.

The crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier at the Stade Roland Garros expressed its disappointment, but it proved a turning point in the match, with Alcaraz' mobility limited as Djokovic took the third set 6-1.

Alcaraz refused to retire and his movement improved slightly, but it could not prevent a 6-1 defeat in the fourth set and Djokovic advanced to a seventh final at Roland Garros.

Afterwards, Alcaraz blamed the "tension of the match" for his cramps, insisting "I have never felt tension like I did in that match".

Djokovic expressed his sympathy for his opponent and praised his "fighting spirit and hanging in all the way to the last point", admitting "we were both at our physical limits to be honest".

In the second semi-final, fourth seed Ruud proved too strong for the Olympic champion Alexander Zverev of Germany, triumphing in straight sets.

Zverev's season ended at this stage of the French Open last year with an ankle ligament injury sustained against eventual winner Rafael Nadal of Spain, but he had shown signs of a return to the form which helped him to men's singles gold at Tokyo 2020 in this year's tournament.

However, Ruud reached his third Grand Slam final and second in succession at the French Open in fine fashion.

He edged the first two sets 6-3 and 6-4 before underlining his supremacy with a 6-0 victory in the third to reach the final.

While Djokovic is seeking to move one clear of Nadal on 23 Grand Slam titles, Ruud is targeting his first at the age of 24 in the match to be played on Sunday (June 11).

The women's singles final between Poland's world number one and defending champion Iga Świątek and Czech Republic's Karolína Muchová is scheduled for tomorrow.