Novak Djokovic won the French Open for his 23rd Grand Slam singles title, breaking the men’s record he shared with Rafael Nadal, a record that he may now own for a very long time.
Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, beat Norwegian Casper Ruud 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 in Sunday’s final at Roland Garros.
He began his victory speech in French, saying it was special to break the record at the major that has been the most difficult for him to win. “I waited for this moment and worked really, really hard to eventually get a shot at the historic Grand Slam title,” he said. “I’m obviously overwhelmed with most beautiful emotions at the moment but also huge relief because so much tension, so much intensity, so much, I guess, pressure and expectations.” Djokovic also broke Nadal’s record as the oldest French Open singles champion.
He became the first man to win all four tennis majors at least three times, joining three women who did so (Serena Williams, Steffi Graf and Margaret Court).