Serbia's Novak Djokovic defeated Norway’s Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday, clinching a record-breaking 23rd Grand Slam title to become the most successful singles player in the history of the men’s game.
Djokovic, the oldest man to win at Roland Garros, overcame a wobbly start on Court Philippe Chatrier to beat Ruud in straight sets, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-5, breaking the 22-Slam tie he shared with Rafael Nadal, the “King of Clay”, on the Spaniard’s favourite court.
Nadal, whose absence due to injury weighed heavily on the tournament this year, was quick to hail his “amazing achievement”, adding in a tweet: “23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about”.
The only player to have reached seven finals at each Grand Slam tournament, Djokovic is now the first man to win three titles at each – a feat only Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have achieved in the women’s game.
“It's an incredible feeling to win 23. I’m beyond grateful and blessed to be standing here with so many incredible achievements,” said an emotional Djokovic as he lifted the Musketeers’ Cup for a third time, with sports celebrities Tom Brady, Kylian Mbappé and Mike Tyson in the stands.
The Serb won his first Grand Slam title 15 years ago at the Australian Open in Melbourne, which he went on to win nine more times. He’s collected seven at Wimbledon, three at the US Open and now three at the French Open, too.
Court’s all-time mark of 24 majors will be in his sights when he heads to Wimbledon next month as the last of the “Big Three” still standing.
“I don't want to say that I'm the greatest,” he told reporters when asked whether he felt he had pulled ahead of his great rivals Nadal and Roger Federer. “It's disrespectful towards great champions in other eras. Each great champion of his generation has left a huge mark and paved the way.”
Victory at the French Open means Djokovic will return to the world number one ranking on Monday – reclaiming the top spot from 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, whom the bookmakers had imprudently labelled the hot favourite ahead of their semi-final on Friday.
At 36, Djokovic is chasing down the few records he has yet to set or equal. He has made it clear that the quest for further Grand Slam glory is what motivates him at an age when tennis stars are normally retired or well past their prime.
“That's basically what still drives me when I wake up in the morning and think about the season and think about things I want to achieve,” he said after his defeat of a cramping Alcaraz – a tussle that proved Djokovic can still outmuscle, outsmart and outlast all others.
Once again, the 23-time major winner also proved that he thrives on the pressure, tension and drama of a Grand Slam tournament, drawing strength from the French Open's typically raucous crowd – even when he is at the receiving end of their jeers.
“Drama-free Grand Slam – I don’t think it can happen for me,” he said at the start of the tournament, after kicking off a storm with explosive comments about Kosovo. “You know, I guess that drives me, as well,” he added.
Another day, another record
There was no such drama on Court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday, no twists and turns to match the rollercoaster spectacle put on a day earlier by Iga Swiatek and Karolina Muchova at the same venue in the women's final.
Ruud, 24, was playing in his third Grand Slam final, a year after he was soundly beaten here by his hero and mentor Nadal.
Taking on Djokovic – a 34-time Grand Slam finalist – was an equally daunting task for the No 4 seed, who went into the final having failed to win a single set against the Serb in their four previous meetings, two of them on clay.
Still, the Norwegian could point to his prowess on the surface, having won more matches and titles than any other player on clay since 2020. He enjoyed a smooth run into the final at Roland Garros, capped off by a methodical straight-sets demolition of Alexander Zverev in the semis.
Ahead of the final, Ruud said he would strive to put feelings aside and “just try to enjoy” himself. He showed no sign of jitters when play began on Court Philippe Chatrier, holding for love in the opening game before breaking the Djokovic serve in the next, when the Serb bungled an overhead shot.
It would be the Norwegian’s only break of serve throughout the final.
Just three games later, it was Ruud’s turn to surrender his serve by hitting an easy smash into the net after a gruelling 28-shot rally. The two players then slogged their way to a tie-breaker, in which the Serb – the ultimate tie-break king – was always favoured to prevail.
As so often in the 34 Grand Slam finals he has played, Djokovic pressed his foot on the pedal when it mattered, racing to a 6-1 lead in the decider before closing out the set with a backhand winner.
From there on it was all downhill for “Nole”, who methodically pummelled his opponent’s weaker backhand, poking holes in the Norwegian’s steely defence and forcing him into costly errors.
“Another day, another record. Every day you rewrite tennis history,” Ruud told Djokovic during the awards ceremony as he collected his runner-up prize for the second year in a row.
With victories in Melbourne and Paris, Djokovic is once again halfway to an historic calendar Grand Slam, a sweep of all four majors in the same year, which no male player has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969 – and which he came agonisingly close to completing in 2021.
“Grand Slams are the goal now,” said his coach Goran Ivanisevic, the former Wimbledon champion. “I don't know how many, but he has in his body a lot more.”
The chase for records goes on.
