"At this point, just hand Novak Djokovic the trophy" - Serb's record-extending 40th Masters 1000 title in Paris leaves tennis world speechless

Novak Djokovic raced to victory at the 2023 Paris Masters on Sunday, downing Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets to win his seventh title at the tournament.

The 6-4, 6-3 win, a routine 98-minute affair, also marked the Serb's 40th Masters 1000 title, taking his lead over second-placed Rafael Nadal to four. Djokovic increased his lead in the head-to-head against Dimitrov as well and now leads 12-1 against the Bulgarian, including 10 straight victories in their last 10 meetings.

Tennis fans flocked to social media to marvel at the 24-time Grand Slam champion's display on the night, joking about how it has become inevitable these days that he is going to win every tournament he participates in.

Since losing the final at Wimbledon to Carlos Alcaraz, the 37-year-old has won the Cincinnati Open, the US Open, and now the Paris Mastes. He also won the title in Adelaide, the Australian Open and the French Open in the first half of the season.

"Tennis is a funny sport where players hit a ball back and forth across a net to win points and in the end, Novak Djokovic lifts trophies," one fan said.

"At this point, just hand him the trophy, why go through trouble of organising these events! Restart everything when Novak decides to retire," another fan commented.

Here are a few more reactions from the tennis world:

Previously in Paris-Bercy, the World No. 1 downed Tomas Martin Etcheverry, Tallon Griekspoor, Holger Rune and Andrey Rublev. Except for the final against Dimitrov and the opening-round win over Etcheverry, all the other victories came in three sets, including comeback wins against Griekspoor and Rublev.

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"Sorry about the outcome today" - Novak Djokovic after beating Grigor Dimitrov in Paris Masters final

France Tennis Paris Masters

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Novak Djokovic extended his apologies to Grigor Dimitrov for getting the better of him on the night.

He also had words of praise for the 32-year-old, stating that he played some of his best tennis this week in Paris-Bercy and that he has what it takes to carry that form forward into next season.

"Grigor, sorry about the outcome today. It’s never easy to lose in a final. I want to encourage you to stay tough and keep going. You played some of the greatest tennis I’ve seen you play this week and last few months. Keep going. Congrats to your team and your family," Djokovic said.

Grigor Dimitrov returned the favor, remarking that he is running out of words to describe just how good the World No. 1 is.

"I’m gonna start with the crowd first. I just wanted to say I’m grateful for this amazing week. It’s been a rollercoaster the last 3 months for me... Honestly I’m so grateful. Novak, congrats. I don’t know what to say, man. I’m running out of words," Dimitrov said.