An unbreakable Novak Djokovic slammed to a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the French Open on Sunday to stand alone at the summit of men’s tennis with a 7-6(1) 6-3 7-5 victory over fourth seed Casper Ruud in the final.
The 36-year-old Serbian broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis, a record that dates back decades.
This victory goes alongside the French Open titles earned by Djokovic in 2016 and 2021, making him the only man with at least three wins from each major event. Since collecting his very first Slam trophy at the 2008 Australian Open, he has accumulated totals of 10 there, seven at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.
Despite Ruud breaking him in his first service game of the match, Djokovic always seemed in control, particularly after winning a finely poised, gruelling opening set that lasted nearly 90 minutes.
Ruud, runner-up to Nadal in Paris last year and Alcaraz at the U.S. Open, pegged Djokovic back with his monster forehands but missed an overhead shot at the net to allow his opponent to break back and eventually level at 4-4.
Djokovic, who took a tumble earlier and was clearly feeling the heat and humidity at 5-6, ranted at the umpire over what he perceived to be quick starts of the clock at changeovers but he regained composure to force a tiebreak that he dominated.
Djokovic eventually broke Ruud late in the third set to take a 6-5 lead and held on to complete a famous victory as he fell to the floor, celebrating a record-breaking day
