A record-breaking 23rd major title was won by Serbian great Novak Djokovic on Sunday at Roland Garros as he defeated Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5.
On Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic overcame Ruud’s strong start to secure his historic victory. The third seed won the first set after trailing 1-4 in the tie-break. He then produced some of his best hitting of the past two days in the second and third sets en route to a three-hour, 13-minute victory.
At the award ceremony, Djokovic said, “Obviously, a Grand Slam is a Grand Slam. “The four most important competitions in our sport. Every single player fantasises about appearing here and winning the trophy, at the very least.
Djokovic scarcely looked back after stopping Ruud’s early assault en route to increasing his advantage in their ATP Head2Head series to 5-0. He won 80% (59/74) of the points after his first serve, outhitting the fourth seed 52 to 31.
Ruud, who was competing in his third final game in the past five major championships, fought valiantly but was unable to keep up his brilliant start. After 4-3 in the first set, the 24-year-old, who advanced to the finals of both the US Open and Roland Garros in 2022, was unable to earn more than two points in a return game as Djokovic mercilessly thwarted his opponent’s attempts to rally.
At the trophy, Ruud addressed Djokovic, saying, “Another day, another record for you.”