“It’s no coincidence that I won the 23rd title in Paris. It has always been the hardest Grand Slam tournament for me to win. I am happy to share this very special moment with you”, slipped Novak Djokovic, in French in his speech to the public, during the presentation of the trophies. JB Autissier/JB Autissier / Panoramic
DECRYPTION – Winner of Casper Ruud, the Serb won a third title at Roland-Garros. He is ahead of Rafael Nadal (22 major titles).
Novak Djokovic seized, alone, the men’s record for Grand Slam titles in the kingdom of Nadal, Porte d’Auteuil, where there is even a statue of the master of the place with 14 titles. But the statue of the “commander” of the small round ball is more than ever the Serb. Like the famous Bolero de Ravel played in the opening ceremony of the final, the now three-time French Open winner started crescendo his 34e Grand Slam final (another record). No doubt, the prospect of writing history again made him a little tense in the face of the Norwegian Casper Ruud, aggressive and unapologetic who led 4-2 in the first act. Once the small false notes ped, the indisputable conductor of world tennis found the right tempo and became again this clinical player at the best moment in the decisive game of the first set. Statistics tell it all. On his six tie-breaks disputed and won this year, Porte d’Auteuil, the Serb gleaned 42 points out of the 55 played…