Novak Djokovic arrived in Paris with uncertainty surrounding his form and his health, but absolute clarity about his objectives.
Throughout a clay-court campaign blighted by unexpected defeats and concerns about an injury to the same elbow on which he had surgery five years ago, Djokovic maintained that his goal was to peak at Roland Garros.
The absence of the injured 14-time champion Rafael Nadal in Paris, for the first time since 2005, can only have hardened his resolve. The prospect of a men’s record 23rd grand slam title that would break the 36-year-old’s two-way tie with Nadal, eclipsing the Spaniard as the oldest winner in the 16th arrondissement and making him the first man in the open era to win all four majors three times, was enticing enough. To achieve it all on Court Philippe Chatrier, an arena that has become Nadal’s second home, would make victory all the sweeter.
With a 7-6 (7-1), 6-3, 7-5 victory over Casper Ruud on another hot and humid day in the French capital, Djokovic got what he came for. As Ruud looped a final forehand wide, Djokovic fell to the clay, flat on his back à la Nadal, before acknowledging both his opponent and the crowd. He crouched on his haunches to take in the moment, and then set off towards his support team, cavorting wildly.
“When I saw his forehand going wide, I felt a huge relief and I was overwhelmed with wonderful emotions,” said Djokovic, who has now won six of the last 10 majors.
There were no tears this time, at least not at first. Six months ago, when Djokovic won his 10th Australian Open title, he dropped to the ground in his player box and sobbed uncontrollably. This time, there was only unbridled joy as he exchanged hugs, smiles and backslaps with his family and support team. Everyone wanted a piece of the history maker. Even Gustavo Kuerten, a three-time champion in these parts, stopped him for a photo.
But when Djokovic returned to the court, and the enormity of the moment began to sink in, he buried his head in a towel and wept. No wonder. His career, played out in the shadow of Nadal and Roger Federer, has been nothing short of an odyssey: now, for the first time, he stands ahead of both.
That it happened in France could hardly have been more appropriate. Fifteen years ago, Djokovic’s mission to be acclaimed the greatest male tennis player in history began with victory over a Frenchman, the Serb defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his first grand slam title in Melbourne. Now, as he finally realised that ambition – for the time being at least – it was another Frenchman, Yannick Noah, the charismatic champion of 40 years ago, who presented him with the Coupe des Mousquetaires.
“It’s kind of symbolic in a way that I won my historic 23rd here in Roland Garros,” said Djokovic. “[It] makes it even sweeter and greater, knowing what it takes to win Roland Garros for me.
“It’s not to take anything away from the winning of any other slam, but just Roland Garros is the highest mountain to climb for me in my career. That’s why it’s even more satisfying.”
What Ruud would give to scale such heights. The Norwegian has now reached three of the past five grand slam finals and earned just one set for his troubles. The footballers Kylian Mbappé and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, seated at courtside, would perhaps be tempted to liken the world No 4 to a striker who keeps getting into good goalscoring positions, only to miss the target.
Yet, for the better part of 81 minutes, the time it took for an enthralling first set to unfold, Ruud bore down on goal with genuine intent. As Djokovic committed an unusually high number of mistakes, Ruud pumped down one mighty topspin forehand after another, winning almost every rally of significant length as he thwarted Djokovic’s best efforts to dictate with his own forehand.
More than half of Djokovic’s 32 unforced errors came in the opener, and few were more memorable than the routine overhead he sprayed long to concede an early break. It was one of several shaky Djokovic smashes, a sure indication that even he was not immune to the magnitude of the occasion.
The pressure on the Serb can hardly have been eased by the sense of expectation surrounding him. Having seen off Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals, Djokovic faced an opponent with a patchy recent record even on his beloved clay. Taro Daniel and Matteo Arnaldi, both ranked outside the top 100, have beaten Ruud on clay this season, and to most observers anything other than a Djokovic win seemed unthinkable.
But while Djokovic might be a tennis colossus, history remains a substantial burden. It did for him when he faced Daniil Medvedev two years ago at the US Open with the calendar year grand slam at stake and, as Ruud consolidated the break to lead 3-0, it briefly looked as though it might complicate matters again.
Pressure is a two-way street, however, and as he trailed 2-4 Djokovic made his move in a game that was a tale of two smashes. The first came when Djokovic miscued another inviting lob, spurning an opportunity that would have given him two break points. The second saw Ruud mar a patiently constructed rally by dumping an overhead into the net at break point down.
“That was unfortunate,” said Ruud. “A really long rally where I missed the overhead, which was sort of a bit devastating. But, you know, I was still leading.
“I don’t think I lost because of that. But it would be nice to sit down and have 5-2 and then there is new balls, obviously. So that was tough.”
Tougher still for Ruud will be the memory of a missed return after Djokovic obligingly delivered a 91mph second serve into his strike zone at 5-4, 30-30. Let off the hook, Djokovic was deadly in the tiebreak that followed soon afterwards. He had previously played five breakers over the fortnight, all of which he won without making a single unforced error. So it was again, Ruud salvaging only a solitary point as Djokovic pocketed seven of the next eight points, bookending that passage with a pair of searing forehand winners.
“He just steps up,” said Ruud. “Either he plays ridiculous defence, or he plays beautiful winners. Just doesn’t do any mistakes.
“He just locks in and makes you have to play either ridiculously well to win the points, or he steps up with a winner himself. He knows how and when to step up. He’s smart. He’s played so many matches where he knows where he has to raise his level. It’s just annoying for me, but it’s very, very impressive.”
It was also a body blow for the Norwegian’s hopes of a first grand slam title. With the first set in the bag, Djokovic began to take charge, dictating with his turbo-charged forehand, suffocating Ruud with his relentless accuracy and consistency. Ruud did not fall away, as he did against Nadal in last year’s final, but the only question that realistically remained was whether Djokovic would falter down the stretch. It was one he answered emphatically, winning 12 of the last 13 points.
“Like [Andy] Roddick said, he takes the legs, then he takes your soul,” said Goran Ivanisevic, Djokovic’s coach, when asked what sets Djokovic apart. “Then he digs your grave and you have a funeral and you’re dead – bye-bye, thank you for coming.”
With Nadal hopeful of returning for a farewell season next year, it still feels slightly premature to say that the last rites have been read on the grand slam title race. That moment will probably come next month at Wimbledon, where Djokovic will be a heavy favourite to equal Federer’s haul of eight titles. Win that, and he will go into the US Open chasing a calendar year grand slam for the second time in three years. It is hard to imagine now that, when Djokovic won his second major at the Australian Open in 2011, Federer had 16 grand slams and Nadal nine.
“It’s amazing to know that I’m ahead of both of them in grand slams, but at the same time, everyone writes their own history,” said Djokovic. “I think that everyone has a unique journey that they should embrace.”
No journey has been more singular than his own.