Djokovic clinches record 23rd Grand Slam title with French Open final win

Djokovic overcame a wobbly start on Court Philippe Chatrier to beat Ruud in straight sets, 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-5, breaking the 22-Slam tie he shared with Rafael Nadal, the “King of Clay”, on the Spaniard’s favourite court.

The only player to have reached seven finals at each Grand Slam tournament, he is now the first man to win three titles at each – a feat only Margaret Court, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams have achieved in the women’s game.

Court's all-time mark of 24 will be in his sights when he heads to Wimbledon next month.

Djokovic won his first Grand Slam title 15 years ago at the Australian Open in Melbourne, which he went on to win nine more times. He’s collected seven at Wimbledon, three at the US Open and now three at the French Open, too.

His victory over Ruud means the Serb will return to the world number one ranking for an extraordinary 388th week, replacing 20-year-old Carlos Alcaraz, whom the bookmakers had imprudently labelled the hot favourite ahead of their semi-final on Friday.

At 36, Djokovic is chasing down the few records he has yet to set or equal. He has made it clear that the quest for further Grand Slam glory is what powers him on at an age when tennis stars are normally retired or well past their prime.

“That's basically what still drives me when I wake up in the morning and think about the season and think about things I want to achieve," he said after his defeat of a cramping Alcaraz – an unfinished tussle that proved Djokovic can still outmuscle, outsmart and outlast all others.

His 24-year-old opponent was playing in his third Grand Slam final, a year after he was soundly beaten here by his hero and mentor Nadal, whose absence due to injury weighed heavily on the tournament