Following his victory in the French Open final, Novak Djokovic now has a record 23 grand slam titles.
At Roland Garros, a Serb defeats Casper Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, and 7-5.
Rafael Nadal and Djokovic now each hold one additional grand slam trophy.
Roland Garros’ Tumaini Carayol
Sun, June 11, 2023, at 17:24 BST 244
Novak Djokovic has used the lofty standard established by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal before him as motivation to push himself to the edge ever since making his professional tennis debut 18 years ago. He never wavered in his belief that he would one day surpass it.
Djokovic currently holds numerous records, including the men’s grand slam record, thanks to this historic triumph. Djokovic is the first person to win each grand slam tournament three times and has now won three titles in Paris after years of being blocked by Nadal, the greatest claycourter of all time, at the French Open. In addition, he will stay at No. 1 for a record-extending 388th consecutive week as the greatest player in the world.
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“Every single player dreams of being on this stage and winning the trophy at least once in their career. I’m beyond fortunate in my life to win 23 times, it’s an incredible feeling,” Djokovic said during his on-court speech.
While he still covers the court with more flexibility and ease than most athletes at their physical peak, these achievements at his age have only added another layer to his greatness. Djokovic is now the oldest Roland Garros singles champion in history at 36 years and 20 days. He has also won the last three grand slam tournaments he has contested – he did not travel to the US Open last year due to the United States banning unvaccinated visitors – compiling a 21‑match grand slam winning run.
Few people gave Ruud, the fourth seed, much of a realistic chance against the third seed Djokovic, but after contesting the French and US Open finals last season against Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, Ruud knew what level it would take for him to match Djokovic in a grand slam final.
