Novak Djokovic became the first male tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam titles in the Open Era after he took down Casper Ruud in the 2023 French Open final in straight sets on Sunday (June 11).
The triumph was powered by the Serb’s elite mentality and ability to endure an immense amount of stress on the tennis court. Although the 24-year-old Norwegian tennis professional gave Djokovic tough competition in a couple of sets, the 36-year-old’s experience was too much for him to bear.
Novak Djokovic is rewriting the history books! pic.twitter.com/OU3gpa14Sl
— US Open Tennis (@usopen) June 11, 2023
In the post-match press conference, the Belgrade native was asked a series of questions that got riveting answers from the 36-year-old tennis virtuoso. The Serb was asked about how he feels about being a step above Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in the Grand Slam title tally. Interestingly, the Roland Garros champion had a lot to say about the ‘Big 3’.
Novak Djokovic revealed that he had always compared himself with the other respected members of the prestigious “Big 3”. He even stated that over the last 15 years, Nadal and Federer have been the permanent tenets in his mind.
Despite being long banned from the US and other countries over his refusal to submit to COVID vaccination, Novak Djokovic just won his 23rd Grand Slam title at the French Open, earning him the greatest record in men’s tennis history.pic.twitter.com/8DiivIa2x3
— Michael P Senger (@michaelpsenger) June 11, 2023
“The truth is that I have always compared myself to these guys because those two are the two greatest rivals I ever had in my career. Countless hours of thinking and analyzing and what it takes to win against them on the biggest stage, for me and my team, it was just those two guys were occupying my mind for the last 15 years quite a lot.”
Moreover, he said that he feels great to be ahead of the other two members of The “Big 3”. Djokovic also talked about Andy Murray and labeled the last 20 years as the “golden era of men’s tennis”.
Novak Djokovic shrugs off retirement speculation
Following several injury concerns, fans were worried about Novak Djokovic’s potential retirement. Adding to the concern that the ‘Big 3’ are diminishing, Rafael Nadal also announced that 2024 will be his last playing season.
However, the tennis world rejoiced as the Serb revealed that his journey is still not over. He also stated that he’s not thinking of ending his career when he’s playing his best tennis lately. Moreover, he also claimed that he’s looking forward to Wimbledon, which will take place next month.
“Of course, journey is still not over. I feel if I’m winning slams, why even think about ending the career that already has been going on for 20 years? I still feel motivated, I still feel inspired to play the best tennis on these tournaments the most, Grand Slams.” said Djokovic.
Thus, tennis fanatics can still expect a lot more from the Serbian Wizard in the coming top tournaments.