Paris: Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic set a new benchmark in men’s tennis as he clinched a record 23rd Grand Slam major title by overpowering Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday. The history maker managed to overcome Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 to claim the third Roland Garros title in his decorated career.
Ruud made a strong start against the Serbian on Court-Philippe Chatrier but the three-time Roland Garros champion came up with an equal response. The first set carried top-quality performances from both players as the set proceeded towards a tie-breaker. After winning the title, an emotional Novak Djokovic was full of pride when reflecting on his historic accomplishment. Djokovic admitted that he couldn’t help but think of the implications of winning his 23rd Grand Slam title prior to the Parisian fortnight.
Djokovic initially trailed by 1-4 in the tiebreaker, but from that point, he produced some of his refined shots to clinch the set in a 13-minute triumph. In the second set, he showcased his prowess against his opponent with a dominant 6-3 victory to clinch the second set. In the third set, Rudd made a comeback but it wasn’t enough as the Serbian extend his lead to claim his record-breaking title.
With this victory, the three-time French Open winner will reclaim the No. 1 spot from Carlos Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings. He surpassed Rafael Nadal as the oldest Roland Garros champion at the age of 36 years and 20 days and with this victory, he became the first man to win all four Grand Slam events at least three times.
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