French Open: Novak Djokovic wins 23rd Grand Slam title by defeating Casper Rudd in the final

“I am very happy to share this special moment of my career with you,” said Novak Djokovic after the coup in French on Court Philippe Chatrier.

“It’s no coincidence that I won my 23rd Grand Slam title here, because that was always the hardest tournament for me. I’m so proud.”

Surprisingly, Djokovic found it difficult to get into the game. With only two games to play, the Serb had already had seven unforced errors and was trailing 2-0.

“It’s still a bit stressful with Novak. He’s not up to the match yet,” asked the former Djokovic coach. Boris Becker at Eurosport.

Rudd, meanwhile, looked focused and made almost no mistakes in the early stages. The Norwegian was leading 3-0 after 22 minutes.

Djokovic broke a turning point in the final

But against Djokovic, the 24-year-old took the lead and won 4-1. “Rud’s forehand is better than Djokovic,” Becker analyzed.

Indeed, it was admirable how bravely and accurately the world ranking number four from Oslo played against the record-breaking Grand Slam champion – until he showed his nervousness as well.

Ruud made the first mistakes and soon lost his service game to 3: 4. Shortly after that, Djokovic returned (4: 4).

Djokovic moves to world class tiebreaker status

When it comes to breaking even, the 36-year-old has once again demonstrated why many consider him the best tennis player in history. Djokovic shifted at least one gear and rolled Roode 7-1.

“Novak’s absolute world-class level always shows when it matters most. Casper was the best player so far. He dropped the first set, Novak didn’t win it,” Becker said.

Now kicked out, Ruud had to give up the first game in the third round and trailed 0:3. Playing on his experience and class, Djokovic didn’t allow a break and safely brought home the second set 6:3.

Rod throws everything into the balance – in vain

To his credit, Rudd kept trying to turn the end game around. The 24-year-old improved in the third set and fended off a break point for Djokovic when the score was 1-1. “Casper is playing better now,” Eurosport expert Becker said.

The crowd was now on Ruud’s side, there were whistles at Djokovic here and there – even as he hit the net. Belgrade can continue to count on their very good serve. In the game to make it 5: 5, the star pulled off the 11th ace, and Rudd had four at that time.

BAKER: Djokovic is the Lion King

A few minutes later, the preliminary decision was made: Djokovic took the match from the opponent 6: 5 to zero. With his own serve, the Serb perfected the historic coup after 3:13 hours – and fell on the Roland Garros battlefield.

“Now he’s the Lion King—finally,” Becker paid tribute to his former protégé, who coached him from 2013 to 2016. “We’ve seen the history of tennis and the sport and I can’t imagine a player winning more than ever before.”