Grand Slam King Djokovic Wins 23rd Crown

By: Gyang Dakwo

An unstoppable Novak Djokovic roared to 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 Serbian drew level with Rafa Nadal on 22 by bagging the Australian Open crown 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.

Djokovic is also the only man to capture each of the four majors – Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and U.S. Open – at least three times.

“Obviously a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam,” said Djokovic, who moved level with women’s great Serena Williams on 23 major titles and sits one behind Margaret Court who has 24.

Djokovic’s latest Paris triumph – which, on statistics alone, settled the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) debate – came in his seventh final at the venue and he entered Sunday’s match with a 2-4 win-loss record.