Novak Djokovic has beaten Casper Ruud in the 2023 French Open final to win his 23rd Grand Slam title, breaking Rafael Nadal's record.
Djokovic maintained his formidable record in tie-breaks to win the first set of the final. The Serbian had won all five he had played in Paris this year without making a single unforced error and it was the same story here as he took it 7-1 after a mammoth 81 minutes, clenching his fist in celebration.
Djokovic made a slow start, with Ruud opening up a 3-0 lead, but the 22-time grand slam champion fought back to make it 4-4. Ruud got to 0-30 on Djokovic’s serve at 5-4 thanks in part to a tweener lob but he could not force a set point and with that his chance was gone.
It was a crushing blow to Ruud, and that was compounded when he dropped serve in the second game of the second set. Djokovic was now back in his comfort zone and progressing nicely towards his date with the history books.
Ruud managed to save two set points at 2-5 but Djokovic was imperious in serving it out. The Norwegian did not win a game in the third set against Nadal last year and he was determined that the same would not happen here.
And he found a better rhythm on his serve and applied some pressure to Djokovic, although he was left cursing his luck when his opponent benefited from a lucky netcord down 0-30 at 3-4, giving the French crowd a final chance for a round of booing.
The question seemed to be when Djokovic would make his move, though, and it came at 5-5, a series of superlative groundstrokes earning him the break, and moments later an historic 7-6 (1) 6-3 7-5 victory.
The Serbian superstar was left emotional as he realised what he had achieved, falling to the ground. He then jumped up to celebrate with his coaching staff, family and friends, who had been watching on from the players' box.
The win also means that Djokovic will replace Carlos Alcaraz as world number one, having beaten the Spaniard in the semi-finals.
Nadal meanwhile quickly congratulated his bitter rival on surpassing his record. He tweeted: "Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole 23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about, and you made it Enjoy it with your family and team!"
The Serbian's achievement also earned him widespread praise from across the sport.
"It is amazing to watch this tennis from Djokovic.. You could not play any better. You feel Djokovic's presence, his character and the way he was nailing those ground strokes, there was no way he wasn't going to get that break," former British number one Annabel Crofts told Radio 5 Live.
"It has been a privilege to sit and watch this great champion take his place in the history books. Considering how tense and nervous he was when he walked onto the court, how well his opponent played and came at him, the way he navigated his way through it and was able to find the solutions shows such strength of character and heart."
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