Novak Djokovic takes Grand Slam record after winning Roland Garros 2023

Novak Djokovic is the most successful tennis player of all time. The Serbian superstar won his ^23rd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros 2023, making him the most Grand Slam singles player of all time. His 23 Grand Slam singles titles now surpass those of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, who have won 22 and 20, respectively. It was Djokovic's third Roland Garros victory, having previously won the tournament in France in 2016 and 2021.

Superior to the final victory

Before the tournament, the question was whether Djokovic would break the Grand Slam record, and the Serbian passed that test with flying colors. During the seven matches he played at Roland Garros 2023, Djokovic lost only two sets. Only Karen Khachanov and Carlos Alcaraz each managed to snatch a set from him, partly due to Djokovic's strong tiebreaks throughout the tournament. He played no fewer than six tiebreaks and won them all convincingly.

In the final against his Norwegian opponent Casper Ruud, the first set also had to be decided by a tiebreak. Djokovic was once again superior during this tiebreak, winning it by a remarkable 7-1. In the second set, he managed to pull ahead more quickly, and with an early break, he extended his lead to 2-0. The third set was a close affair for a long time, with both players managing to hold their service games for a long time. However, at 5-5, Djokovic managed to break through Ruud's service game and thus serve out the match: 7-5.

Confirmation of level

Djokovic himself doesn't claim to be the best ever, as he said at the press conference after his victory over Ruud in the final. "I think that's a lack of respect for all the champions from different eras of our sport, played in a completely different way than tennis is played today," the Big Titles King said. "Every great champion has left their mark on the sport. I have a lot of faith in myself and what I can do, and this title is a confirmation of the level of tennis I can still demonstrate. Grand Slams are my priority right now."

As mentioned, this was Djokovic's third Roland Garros title after 2016 and 2021. He also won the US Open three times (2011, 2015, and 2018), and he won the Wimbledon grass seven times: in 2011, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2021, and 2022. The Australian Open is the world number one's favorite tournament, judging by the number of titles he has won there. He won the tournament in Melbourne an impressive 10 times (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023), with this year being the last. With victories at the Australian Open and Roland Garros, he already has two titles under his belt this year, and Wimbledon is looming, where Djokovic will be trying to win his ^24th Grand Slam title. He has certainly been the best in London in the past two editions.

Number one in the world

With the victory in Paris, Djokovic also takes over from Alcaraz as the world number one . Djokovic briefly relinquished his position to the talented Spaniard, but as he often does, things were quickly restored. Incidentally, Djokovic also holds a record in this regard: he has now led the ATP Rankings for the ^388th week, considerably longer than his competitors. Roger Federer, second in the rankings for the number of weeks at the top of the ATP Rankings, was at the top of the world number one for about a year and a half less.

Besides holding the Grand Slam record for most Grand Slam finals, Djokovic already topped the charts for the number of Grand Slam final appearances. With a total of 34 final appearances at the Australian Open (10), Roland Garros (7), Wimbledon (8), and the US Open (9), the 36-year-old Djokovic is outperforming everyone else. He is, of course, followed by Federer (31) and Nadal (30), while Ivan Lendl (19), Pete Sampras (18), Björn Borg (16), Andere Agassi (15), and Jimmy Connors (15) follow at a respectable distance. While Nadal has announced his retirement in 2024 and the others in this list will no longer reach Grand Slam finals, Djokovic's tally is still ticking.