Novak Djokovic says he is as motivated as ever to continue pushing forward after winning a men’s record 23rd grand slam title at the French Open.
“[The] journey is still not over,” Djokovic said. “I feel, if I’m winning slams, why even think about, you know, ending the career that already has been going on for 20 years. So I still feel motivated, I still feel inspired to play the best tennis on these tournaments the most, you know, grand slams. Those are the ones that count, I guess, the most in history of our sport.”
On Sunday the third-seeded Djokovic defeated Casper Ruud, the fourth seed, 7-6, 6-3, 7-5 to break his tie with Rafael Nadal of 22 grand slam titles. It is Djokovic’s third French Open title, meaning he has become the first man to win each grand slam tournament three times.
Alongside the men’s record for grand slam singles titles, Djokovic holds the all-time record for grand slam singles titles and Masters 1000 events. Despite the evidence that he is statistically the most successful men’s player in the game’s history, Djokovic said he is hesitant to claim the title as the greatest.
“I don’t want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel, I’ve said it before, it’s disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in a completely different way than it is played today,” Djokovic said. “So I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport in such a great stage worldwide.”
After Djokovic clinched the title, Nadal, who is recovering from his recent hip surgery, sent a congratulatory message to Djokovic on Twitter: “Many congratulations on this amazing achievement, 23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about and you made it,” the Spaniard wrote.
Djokovic’s coach, Goran Ivanisevic, insisted he never doubted his player would be able to step up after a difficult clay season and play his best tennis over best of five sets at grand slam tournaments. Ivanisevic said: “Like [Andy] Roddick said, I read, he takes the legs, then he takes your soul, then he digs your grave and you have a funeral and you’re dead. Bye-bye. Thank you for coming.”
