There is one man all alone atop of the all-time Men's Grand Slam titles list after Sunday's French Open final at Roland Garros. Novak Djokovic silenced the critics with a dominating straight sets victory over Casper Ruud to earn his 23rd Grand Slam, breaking his tie with Rafael Nadal.
🚨 HISTORY MADE 🚨@DjokerNole is the first man to reach 23 Grand Slam titles 👏@RolandGarros | #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/SJh0sey7Hg
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 11, 2023
Casper Ruud made his second consecutive French Open final, but was defeated 7-6, 6-3, 7-5 by Djokovic after falling victim to clay legend Rafael Nadal last year. Nadal has won 14 of the last 18 French Open titles in an unbelievable two-decade period of dominance. Due to injury, he did not participate in this year's tournament, leaving the door open for Djokovic to capture the slam.
At 36 years old, Djokovic is far from finished, winning 11 of his 23 titles after turning 30. He is looking to complete the elusive calendar slam in 2023, winning the four major Grand Slams in the same year. The Serbian star has come close several times, most recently winning three of four in 2021 before losing in the US Open final.
Novak Djokovic opened the tournament with +240 odds, second only to world number one Carlos Alcaraz at +150, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Without the perennial champion Nadal, it was anyone's game leading into the later rounds. Djokovic successfully defeated Alcaraz in the semifinal while being a slight underdog, when the young Spaniard went down with cramps later in the match.
Djokovic has been mired in controversy in recent years, stemming from political beliefs regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. After electing not to get vaccinated, he was barred from playing in countless tournaments over the last three competition seasons. He missed several major Grand Slams, or this number could very well be higher.
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