Novak Djokovic’s French Open win his record 23rd major despite missing two over COVID mandates
Heather Hamilton
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Tennis star Novak Djokovic now stands atop the all-time list of Grand Slam titles, winning a record 23rd singles championship to surpass Rafael Nadal.
Djokovic beat Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday, making the 36-year-old Serb the first man to win all four majors at least three times.
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The 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 victory pushed Djokovic past a tie with Nadal and three ahead of Roger Federer, who retired last year.
“I knew that going into the tournament, going into the match, especially, today, that there is history on the line, but I try to focus my attention and my thoughts into preparing for this match in the best way possible to win, like any other match,” Djokovic told ESPN.
Nadal took to Twitter to congratulate Djokovic, calling it an “amazing achievement.”
Djokovic’s rise to 23 major titles comes as he has raised the trophy 11 out of the past 20 Grand Slams — two of which he did not participate in due to COVID-19 vaccination mandates.
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In January 2022, the tennis star was deported from Australia when his medical exemption for the COVID-19 vaccination was denied, subsequently canceling his visa and causing him to miss the Australian Open. His appeals were also denied on grounds of public interest so as not to “excite anti-vax sentiment.”
Djokovic also missed last year’s U.S. Open due to his unvaccinated status.