PARIS, June 11 (Reuters) – Novak Djokovic won a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title at the French Open on Sunday to stand alone at the summit of men’s tennis with a 7-6(1) 6-3 7-5 victory over fourth seed Casper Ruud in the final.
The 36-year-old Serb drew level with Rafa Nadal on 22 by capturing the Australian Open title in January and he leapfrogged the injured King of Clay in his own backyard to claim his third Roland Garros title after triumphs in 2016 and 2021.
On a historic day on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic won his 21st consecutive Grand Slam tournament match to become the only man to bag each of the four majors – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open – at least three times.
He also eclipsed Nadal as the oldest champion in Paris after a testing fortnight where he shrugged off a heated political row after his comments on Kosovo and saw off the challenge of ailing top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.
What turned into a one-sided final got off to a shaky start for the Serb.
He struggled to find his range and rhythm early on and dropped his opening service game, as fourth seed Ruud made a solid start in his bid to secure a first win over the Serbian in his fifth attempt by blazing away to a 4-1 lead.
Ruud, runner-up to Nadal in Paris last year and Alcaraz at the U.S. Open, pegged Djokovic back with his monster forehands but missed an overhead shot at the net allow his opponent to break back and eventually level at 4-4.
Soccer superstars Kylian Mbappe and Zlatan Ibrahimovic were among a packed stadium that roared its approval when Ruud volleyed home a winner after a superb ‘tweener’.
Djokovic, who took a tumble earlier and was clearly feeling the heat and humidity at 5-6, ranted at the umpire over what he perceived to be quick starts of the clock at changeovers but he regained composure to force a tiebreak that he dominated.
SOURCE: REUTERS
