23rd Grand Slam title: Djokovic can restate his GOAT claim in French Open final

Serb Novak Djokovic is widely regarded as one of the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) in men’s tennis. Today, June 11, he can put himself ahead of his greatest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal with an unprecedented 23rd Grand Slam win against Casper Ruud in the French Open Final at 2:30 pm (CET).

We have lived through a golden age of tennis, with three of the men considered to have a claim as the GOAT all playing each other regularly over the past almost two decades.

Roger Federer was the first of the three to rise to the top of the game with his graceful and almost effortless style. The ascent of Rafael Nadal and his almost polar opposite powerful and very physical style saw an immediate rival right at the very top of the men’s game.

Then came Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic, who seemed to have a mixture of both players’ styles. With power and grace combined, Novak is known for his amazing athleticism, flexibility and court coverage as well as his excellent ball skills and shot-making.

With his older rivals either retired or planning retirement today Djokovic can get his nose in front as he takes on Norwegian Casper Ruud. With Djokovic on course for his 23rd Grand Slam title, Ruud is hoping for his first.

Djokovic beat the young Spanish star – current world number one and tournament number one seed – Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final as Alcaraz’s body appeared to give up on him. Such are the demands of the modern game but also of facing the evergreen Djokovic.

Djokovic courted some controversy for refusing to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and hence missing the Australian Open in 2022. He is also a huge advocate for the game and for professional players, resigning from the Players Council of the Association of Tennis Professionals to form the Professional Tennis Players Association for which he is co-president looking after the interests of fellow pros. 

Novak’s rival today, Ruud, has never won a set against him and admitted to the ATP Tour: “It’s going to be tough, for sure. He’s playing for his 23rd. I’m playing for my first. So I’m going to just try to play without pressure and just try to enjoy the moment.”

Ruud has found good form after a shaky start to the season and taking apart Alexander Zverev in his semifinal, though Djokovic faced much higher-ranked competition in Alcaraz in his semi-final.

It’s going to be a very exciting and possibly historical final with Novak Djokovic not only having the opportunity to become the only male player to win 23 Grand Slam titles but also he could become the first male player to win each of the four grand slam tournament three times or more.

You can watch the match in Spain and the UK via Eurosports with a yearly or one-off monthly subscription.