At Roland Garros,
Alone in the world. Like Tom Hanks and his Wilson ball, it was with a ball of the same name that Djokovic sat alone on the roof of the tennis Olympus this Sunday. By dismissing Casper Ruud without great difficulty, despite a tight first set and during which we felt he was a little tense, in the Roland-Garros final, Novak Djokovic became at 36 the first player in the history of tennis to win 23 Grand Slam titles. In three sets and 3h13 of play, the Serb not only wrote a new page in his legend, but also that of tennis and sport as a whole. In a wink of fate, it was on the sacred grounds of Rafael Nadal that “Nole” officially became the GOAT of world tennis.
And as the greats recognize the greats, the king of clay, injured and forfeited this year Porte d’Auteuil, hastened to congratulate Djokovic for this astounding feat. “Congratulations on this incredible accomplishment. 23 (grand slams), a number that seemed unimaginable a few years ago and yet you did it! Enjoy this with your family and your team,” the Mallorcan wrote on Twitter. Under the eyes of two other sports monsters, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kylian Mbappé, the “Djoker” did not fail to recall that nothing happens by chance in life.
“Thank you to the public for the incredible atmosphere, I am happy to share this very special moment with you, in this very special stage in my life. It is no coincidence that this is where I won my 23rd grand slam, because this tournament has always been the hardest for me to win during my career, ”he said on the microphone, a few minutes later. having embraced the Coupe des Mousquetaires, received from the hands of Yannick Noah.
The Central on its knees in front of the GOAT
If the public has not always been tender with him during this fortnight – we remember in particular the whistles fed during the semi-final against Carlos Alcaraz -, let us recognize that, on Sunday, he had the decency not to spoil the party and to salute one of the most incredible feats in the history of sport. Proof that if love is not always won, respect is. So, of course, this victory and this record will not be enough to silence his haters, nor to put an end to the debates about who of Djoko, Nadal or Federer is the greatest player in history.
And basically it doesn’t matter. Yes, whatever you think of the man, the player is tall, very, very tall. And it would be very naive to think that the guy is going to stop on such a good path to enjoy, slippers on his feet, a retirement that is already well deserved. It is not for nothing that Djokovic concluded his speech by already giving an appointment to the public here next year. With how many grand slams on the clock? 23? 24? 25?
Arrived in Paris on tiptoe, accompanied by a lot of uncertainty about his physical form and without having played many matches on clay, Djokovic quickly got everyone to agree. He showed the world that there is nothing more off the mark than burying the old Serbian too soon. “Djokovic, it’s like in the movies, you have to kill the guy 27 times and he always gets back up. You have to knock him down again and he gets back up again and again,” said his coach, the Croatian, very aptly. Goran Ivanisevicafter his victory at Wimbledon in 2021.
Djokovic finally rid of the pressure of the record
Except that this time, the man who stands in front of us looks at the circuit eyes in the eyes. Not to mention that this 23rd victory is likely to whet his appetite for carnivory even more. Federer is gone, Nadal is leaving, and the next generation is still showing a little tenderness to claim to steal the show from him, like Carlos Alcaraz, announced as Roland’s huge favorite this year and whose mind has cracked against the freak.
Why not go snatch Wimbledon for an eighth time, and the US Open in stride? Just to knock out his haters with a shovel once and for all. Crossed on the fly in the corridors of Roland, Guy Forget plussoie our presentiment. “I see him winning Wimbledon, announces the former tournament director. As much at Roland-Garros one could have doubts because it is not his favorite surface, as much at Wimbledon there are quite few. And in the longer term? “As long as he has no serious injuries, he can continue to win, warns Forget. Novak gives off this impression that nothing is impossible”.
Especially since with his lifestyle as a Buddhist monk, Djokovic has always put all the ingredients on his side to defy time and prolong the pleasure. Let’s never forget that the animal continues to improve over time. So imagine, at 31, Djoko had won “only” twelve Grand Slam titles, before slamming eleven new ones over the next five years. Supernatural.
Now freed from this pressure, the very one that had prevented Serena Williams to equal Margareth Court’s record in the Wimbledon final in 2019 (6-2, 6-2 defeat in 56 minutes against Simona Halep), Djokovic has a boulevard in front of him to continue to bend the game. “The journey is not over, he warned at a press conference after the victory. I still feel motivated and inspired to play the best tennis I can and try to win new titles. I’m looking forward to Wimbledon! “. We are clearly not ready for what he has in store for us next. Him, yes.