Novak Djokovic is the king of the men’s side, at least for now.
The Serbian superstar defeated Casper Ruud in straight sets 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday for his 23rd Grand Slam title and third at the French Open.
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Serbian Novak Djokovic celebrates winning the men’s singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Norway’s Casper Ruud in three sets, 7-6, (7-1), 6-3, 7-5, at Roland Stadium Paris Garros. Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Djokovic had to recover to beat Ruud in the first set. He was down 3-0 when he came from behind to force a tiebreaker. He seemed to possess Ruud from there and showed his dominance in the last two games of the third set with incredible crosses just out of reach of the Norwegian star.
Djokovic was tied with Rafael Nadal with 22 Grand Slam titles. Nadal also won the 2022 French Open over Ruud in straight sets. It was his 14th championship on clay. But since last June, Djokovic had won two more Grand Slam titles, Wimbledon 2022 and Australian Open 2023, to beat Nadal.
Djokovic entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed. Nadal was forced out of the tournament with injury. Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev were seeded No. 1 and 2 respectively.
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Novak Djokovic of Serbia clenches his fist after scoring a point against Norway’s Casper Ruud during the men’s singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament at Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
He had to get past Aleksander Kovacevic, Marton Fucsovics, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, JP Varillas, Karen Khachanov and Alcaraz before he could get to Ruud. He didn’t drop a set until Khachanov beat him in the first during their quarterfinal matchup. He then beat Alcaraz in four sets.
Djokovic will now look to Wimbledon in July for a third Grand Slam title in the calendar year. He, too, will be able to play the US Open later this summer, as the United States lifted its mandatory COVID vaccination policy.
Ruud will have to wait again for a chance at a Grand Slam. It’s the third time in his career that he’s reached a Grand Slam final and lost: consecutive years at the French Open and last year at the US Open.
Casper Ruud of Norway reacts during his final match of the French Open tennis tournament against Novak Djokovic of Serbia, at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, Sunday, June 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Aurelien Morissard)
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At just 24 years old, Ruud has 10 career titles and a career record of 192-104.