Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic has secured his place in the history books after securing his 23rd grand slam title after his victory over Casper Ruud at the French Open on Sunday, June 11.
Djokovic’s triumph over Ruud, with a score of 7-6 (7/1), 6-3, 7-5, brings him on par with Serena Williams and in the upcoming Wimbledon tournament next month, he has the potential to match Margaret Court’s record for most singles victories of all time.
The accolades don’t just end there with the Serbian sporting star becoming the first male player to achieve a minimum of three major titles at each of the prestigious tournaments, cementing his status as an exceptional all-around player.
Following his victory, Djokovic told reporters that going into the match he was well aware of what was on the line but that he was focused on the job at hand.
“I knew that going into the tournament, going into the match especially today, that there is history on the line,” he said.
“But I try to focus my attention and my thoughts into preparing for this match in the best way possible to win like any other match.”
Despite the impressive feat, Djokovic remained humble as he paid tribute to all the champions that have come before him.
“I don’t want to say that I am the greatest, because I feel, I’ve said it before, it’s disrespectful towards all the great champions in different eras of our sport that was played in completely different way than it is played today,” he said.
“So I feel like each great champion of his own generation has left a huge mark, a legacy, and paved the way for us to be able to play this sport in such a great stage worldwide.
“I prefer to leave it to other people, because there are a lot of people talking, and it’s good for our sport to have this historical discussion, but of course I have a lot of self-confidence.
“For me, on a daily basis, I’m the best on the court, because with this state of mind, it’s the only state of mind or spirit that can lead to historical results and this trophy. Afterwards, statistics are there, but we have a lot of different factors. It depends on the point of view of a person or the organizations that discuss these things.
“So I don’t want to enter in these discussions. I’m writing my own history.”
While Djokovic was reluctant to label himself the greatest, his fans were more than willing to bestow him with the title, many of his fans taking to social media to praise the 36-year-old.
While claiming the 23rd grand slam title is nothing short of impressive, Djokovic is showing no signs of slowing down and has set his sights on his next victory.
“I still feel motivated, I still feel inspired to play the best tennis on these tournaments the most, Grand Slams. Those are the ones that count I guess the most in history of our sport,” he said.
“I look forward already to Wimbledon.”