Novak Djokovic won his men's-record 23rd Grand Slam singles championship in the French Open Final. Breaking a tie with Rafael Nadal and moving three in front of the retired Roger Federer, with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud that was not in doubt for most of its 3 hours, 13 minutes at the Court Phillippe Chatrier.
Novak Djokovic has never hidden the fact that his was his goal, what drove him, what inspired him. The top accolades from tennis biggest stages were Djokovic’s main aim, and now he finally stands alone — ahead of Rafael Nadal, ahead of Roger Federer, ahead of every man who ever has swung a racket.
Djokovic puts this one alongside the French Open titles he won in 2016 and 2021, making him the only tennis male player with at least three from each major. He won his first at the Australian Open in 2008 and now holds a total of 10 trophies from there, seven from Wimbledon and three from the U.S. Open.
Following the match Djokovic said, “I knew that going into the tournament, going into the match, especially, today, that there is history on the line, but I try to focus my attention and my thoughts into preparing for this match in the best way possible to win, like any other match.”
Also a reminder, Djokovic is halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam, something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969. Djokovic came close to this feat in 2021, when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and made it all the way to the title match at the U.S. Open only to narrowly lose to Daniil Medvedev.
Prior to his remarkable achievement, he has won the trophy at 11 of the last 20 slams, a remarkable run which considering that he did not participate in two majors during that span, due to him not getting vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic was deported in January 2021 before the Australian Open, and he was not allowed to fly to the United States ahead of last year’s U.S. Open under a rule that since has been lifted.
Novak's triumph was acknowledged by his rival, Rafael Nadal who congratulated him via Twitter: “Many congrats on this amazing achievement,” Nadal tweeted shortly after the final concluded.
Djokovic’s victory on Sunday means he will return to No. 1 in the ATP rankings on Monday, replacing Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic already has spent more weeks at the top spot than any player, man or woman, since the inception of computerized tennis rankings a half-century ago.
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