Novak Djokovic wins record 23rd men's tennis Grand Slam

Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic defeated Norway's Casper Ruud 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 in Sunday's French Open final to win his record-breaking 23rd men's singles Grand Slam title.

The 24-year-old Ruud was fighting for his first Grand Slam title but was unable to beat the more experienced 36-year-old from Serbia.

Djokovic said it was "an incredible feeling" to surpass Nadal's tally and take the men's record. "It's not a coincidence I won the 23rd Grand Slam here in Paris. This tournament has always been the hardest for me to win," he said.

With his win, Djokovic broke the tie with Rafael Nadal, who has won 22 Slam trophies including 14 at Roland Garros. The Spanish player has been out since January with a hip injury and underwent surgery during the French Open.

Djokovic will also return to world number one for a record-extending 388th week on Monday.

On par with Serena Williams

Djokovic's first Grand Slam title came in 2008 at the Australian Open, which he has won 10 times. He's collected seven at Wimbledon, three at the US Open and three at the French Open. After today's win, a Serbian became the first man to win at least three championships in every major event.

Also worth noting: Djokovic is again halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam (winning all four majors in one season) something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969.

The only two people in tennis history with 23 majors or more are Serena Williams, who retired after last season with 23, all during the Open era, and Margaret Court, who won 24, some during the amateur era.

Controversial Djokovic also on show at French Open

Of tennis' three recent male superstars, Djokovic is probably the most politically controversial, particularly in recent years. 

His reluctance to take COVID vaccines became legendary at the height of the pandemic and culminated in him being deported from Melbourne on the eve of the 2022 Australian Open.

This side of Djokovic surfaced during his two weeks at Roland Garros, too. Amid clashes in northern Kosovo between ethnic Serbs and local authorities and NATO peacekeepers, Djokovic wrote "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia" on a courtside TV camera during a game earlier in the competition, prompting criticism from within the game and without. 

Some of his personal beliefs have also met criticism, as he turns to an alternative healing guru as a kind of personal trainer later in his career. His claim that it was possible to change the composition of food and water via positive thinking, for instance, baffled nutritionists. 

dh/msh (AP, Reuters)