The 2023 French Open ended on a thrilling note as the fans witnessed Novak Djokovic lifting his third Roland Garros title after winning against the likes of fourth seed Casper Ruud.
As the first set got underway, Casper Ruud managed to grasp an early lead of 0-3. Dominantly winning the first three games, Novak Djokovic seemed dazed against the Norwegian. However, after the third game, the Serb finally managed to find his fuel by getting a breakthrough with a couple of aces.
Winning three out of the next four sets, the 36-year-old made the score 3-4. Following the first set comeback, the match caught pace as both individuals were giving everything to triumph in the first set. Hence, the initial set of the men’s singles final was forced into a tie-breaker. Giving back the glimpse of his tie-breaker against Karen Khachanov, the Serb aced the set 7-1 after almost 80 minutes of sheer hardship.
As the two entered the second set after a slight break, Djokovic got off to a blazing start. Likewise Ruud in the first set, the 36-year-old made the second set 3-0 with consecutive points. The fourth seed tried fighting back after winning a break. Nevertheless, he failed to complete the comeback as Djokovic was not giving Casper Ruud room to breathe. Hence, the multi-time Roland Garros winner managed to win the set comfortably by 6-3.
TWENTY THREE MAJOR SINGLES TITLES! 🏆
Novak Djokovic defeats Casper Ruud in straight sets to capture his third #RolandGarros title! pic.twitter.com/vjMTXMOEED
— Tennis Channel (@TennisChannel) June 11, 2023
The third was nothing different from the first as a great fight for the silverware was combusted between the two. A contest of nip and tuck was being played between Ruud and Djokovic as they were sealing alternative sets. Nevertheless, Djokovic displayed his descendant prowess to capture the third set 7-5 and win the clay-court Major.
Talking about the prize money, the Serb would be receiving a whopping amount of $2,473,305. The amount is 4.55% more than Rafael Nadal and Iga Swiatek received when they lifted the trophies last year.
Novak Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam title
Novak Djokovic’s win over Casper Ruud made him the first male tennis player to win 23 Grand Slam titles. After winning the Australian Open earlier this year in January, he has also secured the second Grand Slam of the year.
In the absence of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic was the favorite to win the clay-court Major. Thus, he managed to triumph in Paris by defeating the likes of the top-seeded Carlos Alcaraz, and eleventh-seed Karen Khachanov in the semifinal and quarterfinal respectively.
“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙚𝙧!” 🏆
As if it was ever in doubt, Novak Djokovic cements himself as the 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐎𝐟 𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞! 🐐#RolandGarros | @DjokerNole pic.twitter.com/32s6c0ytXb
— Eurosport (@eurosport) June 11, 2023
Talking about his 23 Major titles, Djokovic has won ten at Melbourne Park, three at Stade Roland Garros, seven at the prestigious grass courts of All England Lawn Tennis Club, and three at the US Open too. Thus, he’ll be walking in Wimbledon in brilliant form next month as he has already won the two initial Majors of 2023.
On the other hand, it was Casper Ruud’s third Major final and second Roland Garros final. Last year, he took down the challenges of top stars such as Marin Cilic and Holger Rune. However, he failed to triumph against the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. Thus, this year, he was on the side of agony again.