(CNN) — The great players leave records in their wake, depositing them like waves on a shoreline, leaving a high-water mark for others to reach towards or wash away.
First it was Roger Federer, then it was Rafael Nadal, now it is Novak Djokovic who, with a 7-6 (7-1) 6-3 7-5 victory in the French Open final against Casper Ruud, set a new men’s record for the most grand slam titles with his 23rd win.
And, finally, after years of the record moving between the “Big Three,” it could now settle with Djokovic. His dominance in grand slams shows no sign of waning while Federer retired last year and Nadal will retire at the end of next year with injuries preventing him from competing at this year’s French Open.
Despite Ruud breaking him in his first service game of the match, Djokovic always seemed in control, particularly after winning a finely poised, grueling opening set that lasted 90 minutes.
And two sets later, surrounded by other great athletes – Tom Brady, Kylian Mbappé and Zlatan Ibrahimović were all in the crowd – Djokovic confirmed his status as the most successful men’s tennis player of all time.
He has crept slowly into the all-time great debate, his first grand slam wins punctuating half a decade of Nadal and Federer’s dominance when he was seemingly destined to be the odd one out, the one unfortunate to belong to the same era as them.
But, slowly and surely, as their powers waned and injuries took root, Djokovic emerged as the dominant player on tour – his fitness, his return of serve, his ability to make his opponent play just one more shot making him virtually unbeatable.
“Many congrats on this amazing achievement,” Nadal tweeted after the match. “23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team!”
Where Federer and Nadal are defined by each other, their rivalry and friendship intertwined, Djokovic occupies a space on his own, respected but perhaps not loved in quite the same way as the other two members of the “Big Three.”
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