PARIS - Novak Djokovic has made it clear for years that this is his goal. Which made him do it. What inspired him. Djokovic's main goal was the biggest titles on his biggest sporting stages, and now he's finally alone - in front of Rafael Nadal, in front of Roger Federer, in front of every man who has ever swung a racquet.
If Djokovic could have waited that long to break the record, surely he could have waited around half an hour, which it took him to equalize in the Roland Garros final.And so he emerged victorious on Sunday after a somewhat bumpy start with dense, humid air and menacing clouds of coal. Philippe Chatrier's opponent on the pitch, Casper Ruud, never got another serious chance.
Djokovic claimed his men's 23rd Grand Slam singles title by breaking a tie against Nadal and over the eliminated Federer by three points in a 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 win Ruud defeated which was really scary. Doubt for most of the 3 hours and 13 minutes. Djokovic, a 36-year-old Serb, puts this alongside the French Open titles he won in 2016 and 2021, becoming the only man to have won at least three at every major event. He has won 10 trophies at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon and three in the United States.St Open.
It's also worth noting that Djokovic is halfway to a Grand Slam again in a calendar year - he's won all four Majors in one season - something no man has managed since Rod Laver in the 1969 Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and reached the US Open title match before losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic will continue that pursuit at Wimbledon, starting on July 3 at the All England Club.
He has now won the trophy in 11 of the last 20 Grand Slams, which is a remarkable achievement, especially considering he has not played in two Grand Slams in that period due to not being vaccinated against COVID-19. Djokovic was expelled from Australia ahead of the Australian Open in January 2021 and was barred from traveling to the United States until last year's US Open due to a rule that has since been lifted. Not only is reaching 23 a milestone for the men, it also puts Djokovic on par with Serena Williams, who retired last year, the most important of the open era that began in 1968.Margaret Court won part of her record tally of 24 Grand Slam trophies in the amateur era.
20 days after his 36th birthday, Djokovic is the oldest singles champion at Roland Garros, considered the most grueling of the major tournaments as the red sand requires long loops and is slower elsewhere than grass or hard ground underfoot.
Nadal's 22nd major arrived in Paris a year ago, two days after he turned 36. He has been out since January with a hip injury and underwent an arthroscopy on June 2nd.
As if that were all... That's not enough, Sunday's triumph also means Djokovic's return to number 1.On Monday he took first place in the ATP rankings, replacing Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic has already spent more weeks at number one than any other player - male or female - since the computer tennis rankings began half a century ago.