The men’s singles championship match will be played on Sunday afternoon in Paris.
Novak Djokovic has spent his entire career chasing Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. A year ago, he surpassed Federer in the Major title chase, and Roger is now officially retired with 20. And on Sunday, he has the chance to surpass Nadal with his 23rd Major, on the very court Rafa has owned for the past two decades, and the very court where Nadal has defeated Djokovic on eight separate occasions. A victory on Sunday would go a long way in ending the men’s GOAT debate, with Novak atop the heap. And for the second time in three years, he would be halfway to the elusive calendar-year Grand Slam.
Casper Ruud is the only man to reach three of the last five Major finals. However, he’s yet to win one. A year ago in Paris, Ruud went down rather meekly to his idol, Nadal, managing only six games. A few months later in New York, he lost in four sets to Carlos Alcaraz. Now after a slow start to his 2023, Casper is into his second consecutive Roland Garros final, on what is definitively his best surface. But can he challenge the all-time great?
Also on Sunday, it’s the women’s doubles championship match, featuring Su-Wei Hsieh and Xinyu Wang vs. Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend (10). This is only Su-Wei’s fourth tournament since 2021, as she vies for her fifth women’s doubles title at a Slam. This is 21-year-old Xinyu’s first-ever Major final. For Fernandez and Townsend, it’s their first Slam final as a team, in just the sixth event of their partnership.
Novak Djokovic (3) vs. Casper Ruud (4) – Not Before 2:30pm on Court Philippe-Chatrier
Djokovic is 26-4 on the year, and 11-3 on clay. He’s lost two sets thus far this fortnight: one to Karen Khachanov, and one to Carlos Alcaraz. Novak is 22-11 in Major finals, and has won 10 of his last 12. Yet in French Open finals, he’s just 2-4, with three losses to Nadal, and one to Stan Wawrinka. Amazingly, Djokovic has now reached the championship match in 34 out of 70 appearances at Majors, which is just shy of 50%.
Ruud is 22-11 this season, identical to Novak’s career record in Major finals, which is a bit mind-boggling. He’s dropped three sets to this stage, and easily dispatched of Sascha Zverev in the last round. Casper is 10-6 in career ATP-level finals, with nine of his 10 titles coming on this surface.
Djokovic has dominated their head-to-head 4-0, and has claimed all eight sets they’ve played. That includes two meetings on clay, both in Rome within the past few years.
Obviously, Djokovic is a significant favorite to win his record-breaking 23rd Major on Sunday. However, both players are well aware of that. So much like Saturday’s women’s singles final, the pressure falls squarely on one side of the net. I fully expect Ruud to play more freely than he did in last year’s final, with more experience and an opponent who he didn’t grow up idolizing. And the last time Novak played for history of this magnitude, two years ago in New York when he was one match away from the calendar-year Grand Slam, he faltered badly, losing the US Open final in straight sets to Daniil Medvedev. So while Djokovic remains the favorite, a tight, nervy encounter feels likely.
Sunday’s full Order of Play is here.
