Novak Djokovic has become the most decorated Grand Slam singles champion in the history of men’s tennis after defeating Casper Ruud to win his 23rd major title at the French Open.
The world No.3 survived a marathon opening set before securing a 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5, win over Ruud, who has now finished runner-up at three out of the last five major events. Djokovic has become the first male player in history to have won every Grand Slam three or more times, as well as the oldest to win the French Open at the age of 36 years and 20 days. It is also the third season in his career that he has won the first two major tournaments after 2016 and 2020.
“This is always the hardest tournament to win, for me,” Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony. “I am very emotional right now, it means a lot to me. I have experienced a lot here on court and off it. I am honoured to be on this special court, thank you (to the crowd) for your energy today and throughout the tournament.”
Despite being the heavy favourite heading into Sunday’s final, Djokovic contended with some fierce opposition from across the court. Ruud illustrated glimmers of his talent throughout the encounter but could not maintain it for a long period. This a somewhat familiar pattern for the 24-year-old who has only won three out of his last 18 matches against top-five players. Djokovic, who now leads Ruud 5-0 in their head-to-head, sealed his historic victory with the help of 52 winners.
“Casper, you are one of the best people on the tour, one of the best personalities, people around the tour, players, coaches, everybody respects you, appreciates you, loves you, and with good reason,” Djokovic said to the world No.4.
“I’m sorry for the result today. It’s not the best way to finish for you. You’ve had an incredible couple of years here…you’ve been one of the most consistent players in the world…it speaks about your quality of tennis and your consistency.”
Coming into Sunday’s final, Ruud’s record against the third seed has been dismal. In their four previous meetings on the Tour, the Norwegian has failed to take a set off him. However, on the Phillippe Chatrier court, he was undoubtedly the sharpest out of both players at the start of their latest clash. An error-stricken beginning from Djokovic saw him produce 12 unforced errors during the first three games as Ruud surged to a 3-0 lead.
After his early blip, the Serbian eventually found his footing during what was a tense opener filled with plenty of twists and turns. Djokovic managed to break back in the seventh game after a gut-busting 29-shot rally concluded with a Ruud smash slamming into the net. There was little to distinguish between the two until the tiebreaker where the former world No.1 dictated proceedings by winning six out of seven points contested to secure a series of set points. He converted his first with a forehand crosscourt winner.
After coming through a testing 82-minute opening set, Djokovic cruised through the second frame with little difficulty. A single break in his favour guided him to a 7-6, 5-3 lead. Then in the following game, he secured his two-set lead with a backhand shot down the line.
Closing in on victory, Djokovic continued to dictate proceedings with the help of some thunderous hitting. Although it was a far from easy task due to a rowdy Parisian crowd and being hit with a time violation whilst serving at 3-4 in the third set. Weathering the storm, he crossed the finish line clinically by winning 11 consecutive points before converting his second championship point after a Ruud forehand landed out.
“Another day, another record for you, another day you rewrite tennis history,” Ruud said in tribute to Djokovic. “It’s tough to explain how incredible it is and how good you are and what an inspiration you are.”
“Congratulations to you and your team, I am sure this one is the sweetest. I am proud to be the first to congratulate you.” He added.
After praising his friends and family, Djokovic then provided some inspirational words to the younger generation based on his personal experiences of growing up in war-affected Serbia during the early 1990s before becoming one of the greatest athletes in the world.
“To every young person out there, whatever you’re pursuing out there…I was a seven-year-old dreaming that I could win Wimbledon and become No 1 in the world one day. I’m beyond grateful and blessed to be standing here with so many incredible achievements.” He said.
“I feel that I had the power to create my own destiny. I tried to visualize every single thing in my life…really feel it with every cell in my body.”
“Be in the present moment, forget about what happened in the past, the future is something that is just going to happen but if you want a better future, you create it. Take the means in your hands. Believe it. Create it.”
The new champion in Paris will return to world No.1 in the ATP Pepperstone rankings on Monday when they are updated. It will be his 388th week in his top spot which is yet another tennis record in his name.
