In the French Open final on Sunday, Novak Djokovic, a 36-year-old tennis player from Serbia, secured his 23rd Grand Slam title by defeating Casper Ruud with a score of 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5. With this accomplishment, Djokovic surpassed his rival Rafael Nadal to become the player with the most major singles trophies in men’s tennis history, a record dating back to the 1800s. Unfortunately, Nadal, a 14-time champion at Roland Garros, couldn’t participate in this year’s tournament due to an injury.
This victory adds to Djokovic’s previous French Open titles in 2016 and 2021, making him the only male player to have won at least three titles in each major event. Since his first Grand Slam victory at the 2008 Australian Open, Djokovic has accumulated a total of 10 titles there, seven at Wimbledon, and three at the U.S. Open.
Furthermore, it is noteworthy that Djokovic is once again halfway towards achieving a calendar-year Grand Slam, which involves winning all four majors in a single season. No male player has accomplished this feat since Rod Laver in 1969. In 2021, Djokovic came close to achieving the calendar-year Grand Slam when he won the Australian Open, French Open, and Wimbledon, and reached the final match at the U.S. Open, where he lost to Daniil Medvedev.
Djokovic will continue his pursuit of this monumental achievement at Wimbledon, commencing on July 3rd at the All England Club, where the tournament will be played on grass courts.