Novak Djokovic overtakes Rafael Nadal in Slam race, wins historic 23rd Major at French Open 2023

Novak Djokovic has taken the sole lead in the Grand Slam race for the first time, winning his 23rd title at the 2023 French Open on Sunday.

Facing off against Casper Ruud in the final, the Serb was broken in his first service game and fell behind 3-0. However, he soon found his footing as the set dragged on and broke the Norwegian to force a tiebreaker, where he dropped just one point.

From there on, it was one-way traffic for the 36-year-old. An early break of serve was enough to give Djokovic the second set 6-3, followed by a much tighter third set.

However, the World No. 3 raised his level at 5-5, breaking Ruud to love. Minutes later, it was ecstasy for the Serb, as he served out a 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 win to etch his name in the record books.

Coming into the French Open, Djokovic was tied with Rafael Nadal for the most Grand Slams won by a male player in the Open Era. He had started the year by winning his 22nd Major title at the Australian Open, beating Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.

In the Open Era, only Serena Williams has won as many Grand Slam singles titles as the Serb. Williams won her 23rd Grand Slam at the 2017 Australian Open.

However, with the American having hung up her racquet at the US Open last year, Djokovic has a good chance of taking the outright lead for most Slams in the Open Era.

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Novak Djokovic returns to World No. 1 with French Open triumph

Novak Djokovic

Apart from winning a 23rd Grand Slam title, the World No. 1 spot was also on the line at the 2023 French Open for Novak Djokovic. Thanks to his win over Ruud, the Serb will return to the top the ATP rankings on Monday.

Furthermore, the soon-to-be No. 1 completed the near-impossible triple career Grand Slam - winning every Major at least thrice. Apart from his three trophies at Roland Garros, Djokovic has won ten titles at the Australian Open, seven at Wimbledon and three at the US Open.

He's the first man in the Open Era to achieve the feat, with no one else in sight of the record, at least for the foreseeable future. Rafael Nadal is the only other male player to have won the double career Grand Slam, but the Spaniard will need to win one more title at the Australian Open and Wimbledon to match his arch-rival's feat.

Considering that Nadal has hinted that 2024 will be his final year on tour, the chances of that appear remote.