With his victory in the French Open men’s singles, Novak Djokovic earns his 23rd Grand Slam championship.

For many years, Novak Djokovic was very open about his intentions. what motivated him. what motivated him. Novak Djokovic major goal was to win the biggest trophies on the biggest platforms in his sport, and now that he has accomplished that, he stands alone — ahead of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and every other guy to have ever picked up a racket.

If Novak Djokovic could wait this long to hold this record, he could undoubtedly wait the 30-45 minutes it needed for his swings to become more uniform in the French Open final. So, on Sunday, after a little bit of a rocky start in the heavy, muggy air and behind the ominous charcoal clouds, he asserted himself. Casper Ruud, the opponent at Court Philippe Chatrier, never had a chance after that.

Novak Djokovic beat Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 to win his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, breaking a tie with Nadal and moving three ahead of the retiring Federer. The match lasted 3 hours, 13 minutes, and for the majority of that time, there was little genuine doubt as to the outcome.

The 36-year-old Serbian Novak Djokovic , who also won the French Open in 2016 and 2021, is the only person to have won at least three of each major tournament. He has taken home 10 medals at the Australian Open, 7 from Wimbledon, and 3 from the U.S. Open.

Halfway to a Grand Slam for the calendar year is Novak Djokovic.

It’s also important to note that Novak Djokovic is halfway to completing the calendar-year Grand Slam, which requires winning all four major tournaments in a single season. Rod Laver last accomplished this feat in 1969. When he won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and advanced all the way to the U.S. Open championship final before falling to Daniil Medvedev, Djokovic came dangerously close to accomplishing that feat in 2021.

Novak Djokovic will continue to pursue that goal at Wimbledon, which starts on the All England Club’s grass on July 3.

He has now won the trophy at 11 of the previous 20 Slams, an impressive record made even more so when you realise that he missed two big events during those time because he did not receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Prior to the Australian Open in January 2021, Djokovic was deported from Australia, and before the U.S. Open last year, he was prohibited from travelling by air due to a restriction that has since been overturned.

By reaching 23, Djokovic not only breaks the record for men, but also ties Serena Williams, whose career came to an end last year, for the most wins in the Open era, which began in 1968. Some of Margaret Court’s 24 Slam titles, a record, were won during the amateur period.

Novak Djokovic won the singles title at Roland Garros 20 days past his 36th birthday, making him the tournament’s oldest singles champion. Red clay, which is slower underfoot than other surfaces like grass or hard courts, is what makes this major’s lengthy, grinding matches so difficult.

Two days after he turned 36, Nadal’s 22nd major tournament arrived in Paris last year. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on June 2 and has been out since January due to a hip issue.

As if all of that weren’t enough, Novak Djokovic victory on Sunday ensures that he will replace Carlos Alcaraz at the top of the ATP rankings on Monday. Since the introduction of computerised tennis rankings a half-century ago, Djokovic has already spent more weeks at the top than any other player, male or female.

Alcaraz, a 20-year-old Spaniard, was defeated by Djokovic in the semifinal match on Thursday after the Serbian player wore him down over two exciting sets and caused severe muscle cramping. Alcaraz persisted in playing, but the final two scores of the four-set match—6-1, 6-1—told the whole story.

Ruud, a Norwegian 24-year-old who reached his third Slam final in the last five competitions, is now 0-3. In the past year, he suffered defeats to Nadal at the French Open and to Alcaraz at the U.S. Open.

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Novak Djokovic , in his 34th major final, was the one who had a rocky beginning, possibly as a result of being aware of everything that was at stake.

A half-ovation and courteous applause greeted Ruud’s entrance. More people stood up when Novak Djokovic entered the room to a loud and thunderous chanting of his two-syllable moniker, “No-le! No-le! No-le!” Right before the play started, that chorus started back up. It continued throughout the afternoon, occasionally to laud his accomplishments and other times to offer encouragement.

The chants for his name were deafening as Novak Djokovic rattled off 12 of the final 13 points to put an end to the match, dropping to his back with his limbs splayed wide.

The preferred way to greet Ruud? His last name was repeatedly said in a monotone manner with a long “Ruuuuuuuuuud” sound that sounded like booing, but was, of course, not booing.

Ruud initially appeared to be trying his hardest to put Novak Djokovic lesser forehand to the test. Early on, it paid off as Djokovic kept missing that shot—into the net, wide, and long—before making a different type of error—missing an overhead from close to the net much beyond the opposing baseline—leading to a break and a 2-0 deficit.

For some reason, that shot has always been Djokovic’s “bête noire,” and later in the set, he missed another overhead.

Soon, Ruud was up 4-1, in part because of Novak Djokovic difficulties. By that point, Djokovic had committed 13 unforced errors compared to Ruud’s four.

Then things started to shift.

Djokovic adjusted his game, making only 14 unforced errors in the final two sets after closing the first set with 18.

Once again missing an overhead, Ruud swung back and deposited his shot into the net to end the 29-stroke point. Novak Djokovic shook his right fist after his first service break made the score 4-3.

A tiebreaker was used, which was firmly under Novak Djokovic control. He simply performs better as the importance and strain increase. Has, it seems, always.

Novak Djokovic contributed four wins and no unforced errors in the first-to-seven period.

With a winning percentage of.655, he had a record of 308-162 in tiebreakers throughout his career. In 2023, he is 15-4, including 6-0 in Paris. During those six matches, 55 points were played, and Djokovic committed no unforced errors.

Zero, read that again.

That one set, which lasted one hour and twenty-one minutes, was jam-packed with lengthy discussions and the kind of issues about which entire stories could be written. Some others experienced 20, 25, or 29 strokes. Ruud was able to win one with the aid of a between-the-legs shot with his back to the net. On another, Djokovic fell behind the baseline, rubbing the rust-colored clay across his red shirt, blue shorts, and skin.

On defence, Novak Djokovic stretches, bends, twists, and the results are evident on the scoreboard. However, all of the lengthy points also deplete a foe’s strength and resolve.

Perhaps it also helps because Djokovic is familiar with all the tiny details. He voiced his displeasure to chair umpire Damien Dumusois on the length of time allocated for changeovers, arguing that a little extra rest wouldn’t hurt. Djokovic frequently extended the 25-second serve clock past its expiration, to the point where one spectator yelled, “Serve it!” Dumusois also forewarned him about taking too long during the third set.

With his abilities now fully on display, Djokovic repeatedly pushed his right index finger into his temple after he broke Ruud to take the lead 3-0 in the second set. He turned to face his box in the spectators, where his agent, seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady, his wife, two daughters, and coach Goran Ivanisevic were among the visitors.

Brady, who recently retired, is widely regarded as the NFL’s “Greatest of All-Time” (or “GOAT,” for short), and there has been discussion about who among Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer merits the moniker in the tennis community for quite some time.

No one can contest Djokovic’s current standing if Grand Slam victories serve as a gauge.