Top 10 tennis moments in 2023 ft. Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal

The tennis season in 2023 was quite eventful with Novak Djokovic continuing to excel at the age of 36 and the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner following him. Meanwhile, Iga Swiatek and Coco Gauff were the stand-out players in women’s tennis.

There were quite a few big tennis moments during the year and we have come up with 10 important ones in this article. Let us get on with the list:

#10. Marketa Vondrousova winning her first Wimbledon title as an unseeded player

Marketa Vondrousova won her maiden Wimbledon title in 2023 and became the first unseeded player in the Open Era to do so. The 24-year-old Czech beat Ons Jabeur in the final. Ranked No. 42, Vondrousova also became the lowest ranked Wimbledon champion in the Open Era.

Prior to that, she beat Elina Svitolina and Jessica Pegula, both of whom were among the top seeds. Vondrousova went on to finish the year as the World No. 6.

#9. Elina Svitolina’s Wimbledon semifinal run after returning to action

Elina Svitolina made a great comeback in 2023 post pregnancy. She reached the Wimbledon semifinal by beating players such as Venus Williams and Iga Swiatek.

On account of her good performance, the 29-year-old Ukrainian returned to the top-30 in the world, rising more than 50 places to achieve the feat. Svitolina ended the year as the World No. 25, thus completing her comeback in style.

#8. Ukrainian players deciding not to greet their Russian counterparts after matches

With the Ukraine-Russia war going on for almost two years now, the animosity transcended onto the tennis courts as well in 2023. Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine took the lead by deciding not to shake hands with Varvara Gracheva after beating the latter in the final of the inaugural ATX Open in the United States.

The pattern repeated itself as Kostyuk did not shake hands with Aryna Sabalenka after another match. Elina Svitolina of Ukraine followed suit by not shaking hands with Darina Kasatkina of Russia after beating her in a match at Citi Open.

#7. Simona Halep’s doping ban

Simona Halep was handed a four-year doping ban by WTA for having used a banned substance at the US Open in 2022. The ban became effective in May, 2023. The 32-year-old Romanian might now find it difficult to return to tennis.

Halep, a former World No. 1, is a two-time Grand Slam champion, but would not have expected such an inglorious end to her career.

#6. Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon win

Carlos Alcaraz seems to be destined for big things in his career. He beat Novak Djokovic 1-6, 6-1, 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-4 in a pulsating Wimbledon final to win his maiden title, which was also his second Grand Slam title.

Alcaraz became the first player to beat Djokovic on centre court at Wimbledon since 2013, thereby breaking the Serb's stranglehold on the tournament.

#5. Caroline Wozniacki’s return

Caroline Wozniacki made a return to tennis by appearing in a couple of warm-up tournaments in Montreal and Cincinnati as a wild-card entrant. She then reached the fourth round of US Open before losing to Coco Gauff, the eventual winner.

The former World No. 1 did not participate in any event thereafter and is now eyeing another return at the Australian Open in 2024. Wozniacki, however, might not have too many years left at the top.

#4. Coco Gauff’s US Open win

Coco Gauff fulfilled her dream by becoming only the third female teenager ever to win the US Open. She beat Aryna Sabalenka in the final to win her maiden Grand Slam title.

Gauff finished the year as the World No. 3 and will target the top spot in the coming year. The 19-year-old remains the brightest prospect that US tennis has to offer today.

#3. Novak Djokovic surpassing Steffi Graf’s record for highest weeks as the World No. 1

Novak Djokovic won the ATP Finals in November to accomplish 400 weeks as the world’s topmost player. Roger Federer has the next highest tally at 310 weeks among men.

The Serb also surpassed Steffi Graf’s record of 377 weeks as the No. 1 in the process, making him the player with the highest tally in the Open Era.

#2. Rafael Nadal announcing that he will retire in 2024

A sad but expected news for tennis lovers came towards the end of the season, with Rafael Nadal announcing that 2024 would be his last year in tennis. The Spaniard is planning to make a comeback after a long injury lay-off.

The 37-year-old would be targeting the French Open and the Olympics, both of which will be played on the red clay of Paris. Both those tournaments might present Nadal a chance to sign off on a high note.

#1. Novak Djokovic’s French Open triumph to reach 23 Grand Slams

Novak Djokovic made short work of Casper Ruud in the French Open final, winning 7-6, 6-3, 7-5. He thus broke Rafael Nadal’s record of winning 22 Grand Slams.

With the Spaniard missing his favourite tournament in Paris owing to an injury, Djokovic did not face much difficulty in seeing off much younger opponents one after another.

It was also the first time that Djokovic held the coveted record exclusively, as he has spent the majority of his career chasing either Federer or Nadal's tally.