Novak Djokovic claims G.O.A.T status, wins 23rd Grand Slam title
Serbian great becomes first player to win every Grand Slam 3x
Tennis great Novak Djokovic secured immortality in the sport by claiming a straight sets win over Casper Ruud to emerge as the champion of the 2023 French Open, securing his 23rd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.
After overcoming Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, respectively, in the semifinals, Djokovic and Ruud faced off for the title. Ruud was coming into his third Grand Slam final, having lost the 2022 French Open final to Rafael Nadal and the US Open in the same year to Alcaraz. Djokovic, on the other hand, was gunning for a 23rd title that would move him ahead of Nadal as the most successful player ever.
Djokovic was the heavy favourite to emerge as the winner and he did his tag no harm as he claimed the first set 7-6 following a tiebreaker. The 36-year-old went on to win the second set 6-3 before closing out the match in the third set 7-5, claiming a 7-6 6-3 7-5 straight sets win. He picked up his third French Open title after wins in 2016 and 2021.
The Serb has now won 23 Grand Slam crowns to surpass the retired Roger Federer (20) and Nadal (22) in the race to be named as the Greatest tennis player ever. He also becomes the first tennis player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles at least three times in his career.
Novak Djokovic is still waxing strong and he will look to extend his incredible record by claiming a Calendar Slam this year. The Serb is already the greatest of all time by virtue of his achievements in the sport.
