Following His Victory Over Ruud at 2023 French Open, Djoković Claims Record 23rd Grand Slam

In the capital of France’s Court Philippe-Chatrier, men’s tennis history has just been written. In Paris, Novak Djoković became the first male to win 23 Grand Slam titles, tying Serena Williams’ record for the Open Era. Casper Ruud was unable to compete with the 36-year-old Serb, who hadn’t advanced to a final since winning the Australian Open in January. The Norwegian was forced to watch as the Serb displayed absolute dominance on serve.

This means that Rafael Nadal was surpassed by Djoković in terms of the number of Grand Slam victories, and he added a third Roland-Garros trophy by dominating Ruud.

The Serb surged away from Ruud to win 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 and further establish his status as the GOAT (best of all time) after playing a faultless tie-break in the opening set. The significance of his accomplishment struck home for Djoković when a looping Ruud forehand went into the tramlines on his second match point, causing him to collapse back onto the court.

In addition to being the first man to win all four Slams at least three times, he now shares the Open Era record for major titles with American star Serena Williams.

“I’m really delighted to be here to share this special moment in my career with you,” Djoković spoke in front of the Court Philippe-Chatrier’s crowd in his post-match interview: “A coincidence that I’ve won my 23rd Grand Slam here in Paris, this tournament has always been the hardest to win for me so I’m very emotional right now, it means a lot to me.”

Ruud Didn’t Stand Chance in Final

Ruud jumped off to a quick 3-0 lead on Court Philippe-Chatrier, but Djoković gradually warmed up to the challenge and broke back as the level of play rose. The Norwegian, who was competing in his third major final in the past 12 months, had a chance to take the lead at 0-30 when the score was 5-4, but he acted too passively as Djoković changed tactics and won four straight games for a commanding hold. The set was decided by a tie-break after Djoković and umpire Benoit Dumusois exchanged sharp words over what the player believed was hurrying him during the changeovers. The Serb also gave one of the best performances of his career.

He started it off with a powerful forehand down the line before putting on an amazing exhibition of attacking tennis to send Ruud stumbling over the other side of the court. He quickly won the tiebreaker 7-1, and he was soon celebrating winning the opening set. The past beckoned. After winning the first set, Djoković had only lost a Grand Slam final three times out of a potential 17, and after a short break, he was back on his game. He kept his first service game, broke right away, and then remained steady on his own serve to power through the second game and draw enthusiasm from the throng of supporters of the underdog.

Ruud was in need of something, but every time he delivered, Djoković countered with something superior. Early in the third set, the Norwegian delivered a superb volley, but it was quickly overtaken by a bomb from Djoković down the line. Ruud stayed strong to stay in the set despite the fact that his first serve was only just starting to consistently find its mark. When he was 4-3 up, he finally took another shot at the Djoković serve at 0-30, but his opponent took advantage of a fortunate net chord. If the result didn’t already seem clear, it did as Djoković wriggled out of danger thanks to a time violation warning and a flurry of errant fan chants.

And just three games later, Djoković won a cross-court point to gain three break points at 5-5. The Serb then served for another chapter of history after another victor. The sole indication of nervousness came at 40-0 when a tight forehand soared well wide, but he was soon celebrating his 23rd major championship as he pulled ahead of retired Roger Federer (20) and injured clay court king Nadal (22).

Świątek Wins Women’s Roland-Garros After Resisting Muchová’s Comeback

Iga Świątek defeated Karolína Muchová to win the women’s French Open for a third time, displaying all of her tenacity in the process. She, just like Djoković in the men’s final, played the role of the favorite, awarded to her by online sportsbooks with betting bonuses, in a great manner. At a set and a break, the Polish star appeared to be in charge, but her Czech counterpart came back to tie the score in an exciting final. Despite being pushed all the way by her rival, Świątek, 22, had too much quality in the crucial moments to win a fourth Grand Slam championship.

Świątek defeated Muchová 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 on Court Philippe-Chatrier to win her third French Open championship. This followed victories in the US Open in 2022, and Roland-Garros in 2020 and 2022. Early on, the Czech was serving effectively, but Świątek demonstrated her aggressive character by returning the service without giving anything away.

The second set of the final match was the first set the Pole had lost in the competition, and to start the third, she lost the first game while serving. Muchová was attempting to become the fourth unseeded winner at Roland-Garros in the previous seven years, but Świątek stabilized herself and broke back after asking her coach for setup.