What seemed impossible became inevitable. Before coming to the French Open, not Novak Djokovic but Carlos Alcaraz was the fan favorite on his favorite red dirt. But how can one write Djokovic off? Before this Roland Garros, he was a 22-time Grand Slam champion. Without breaking any sweat, the Serb defeated 4th seed Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 on Sunday (June 11) on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
But looking at his form and elbow struggles prior to the French Open, doubts must have loomed over the fans that Djokovic maybe will have to wait to lift another Grand Slam.
The Serb himself admitted the same after that match that he doubted himself. But now, he, his team and his fans will be celebrating tonight or maybe will sleep peacefully, for Djokovic not only became champion for the 23rd time, he joined another legend Serena Williams in terms of trophy count in the Open Era. Also Read: Novak Djokovic vs Casper Ruud Match prediction, head-to-head, preview, and live telecast | French Open 2024
The 36-year-old became the first man to lift all the four Majors titles at least three times. This win at Roland Garros was his third one, having lifted the elusive trophy in 2016 and 2021. Next week, he will emerge as the No. player of the world again.
Djokovic is the GOAT now? Well he prefers the name Novak. “You can call me Novak! I like my name!” he said after that historic moment.
“I take [the GOAT] as a compliment of course for all the achievements. This one today came as a crown for all the hard work this year. Two Slams- I said before the start of the season started that I wanted to peak in the Slams, I wanted to play my best tennis there,” continued the 23-time Grand Slam champion.
” I can’t be more proud or more thankful that again I managed to win Roland Garros, which came as a historic 23. Roland Garros has always been the toughest tournament for me to win out of all four Slams,” he added.
He then concluded with: “I failed several times at the last step, mostly against Rafa, against Stan in the finals. 2016 was one of the greatest moments I’ve experienced on the court, winning here, 2021, then this year again. I don’t know what to expect when I play on clay!”
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