Novak Djokovic has won his men’s-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud in the French Open final, strengthening his case to be crowned the greatest player of all time.
The 36-year-old Serbian broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men’s tennis, which dates to the 1800s.
Nadal, a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, missed this year’s tournament because he is injured.
This victory goes alongside the French Open titles earned by Djokovic in 2016 and 2021, making him the only man with at least three from each major event. Since collecting his very first Slam trophy at the 2008 Australian Open, he has accumulated totals of 10 there, seven at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.
Djokovic is again halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam – winning all four majors in one season – something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969. Djokovic came close to pulling off that feat in 2021, when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and made it all the way to the title match at the US Open before losing to Daniil Medvedev.
Only Margaret Court and Serena Williams in women’s tennis have managed to rack up 23 Grand Slam titles. Court’s all-time mark of 24 will now be in Djokovic’s sights at Wimbledon next month.
There is little sign of Djokovic slowing down. He is now the oldest French Open champion but 11 of his Slam trophies have now been won after he turned 30.
On Monday, he will reclaim the world number ranking and start his 388th week in top spot.
