How Novak Djokovic won his 23rd Grand Slam — and a slice of history

History was made at Roland Garros on Sunday as Novak Djokovic won a record 23rd Grand Slam title, the most of any man who has ever played the sport.

The 36-year-old began nervously, trailing 3-0 and 4-2 in the first set, with the weight of the occasion seemingly heavy on his shoulders, his feet unusually off balance. But as so often in his career, Djokovic dug himself out of trouble and then pulled away in familiar style to win 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5.

As Ruud’s final forehand landed wide, Djokovic fell to the clay and lay flat on his back, soaking in the applause of the crowd. After taking the congratulations from Ruud he sat for several seconds, before going into the crowd to celebrate with his family and support team, emerging with a jacket with “23” emblazoned on it.

“It’s no coincidence that I should win my 23rd Grand Slam title here. This has been the hardest tournament for me to win throughout my career,” Djokovic said after. “I am beyond fortunate in my life to win 23 Grand Slams. It’s an incredible feeling.”

Djokovic is the oldest man to win the French Open and his third Roland Garros crown moves him ahead of Rafael Nadal to 23 Grand Slams, level with Serena Williams and one behind the all-time leader Margaret Court, whose career spanned the amateur and professional eras. He is now halfway to the coveted calendar-year Grand Slam for the third time in his career. Oh, and on Monday, he will return to the No 1 ranking on the ATP Tour.

Here’s how history was made.

Djokovic shakes off early tension

Djokovic has been talking about the prospect of breaking the men’s all-time Grand Slam record ever since he won for the first time in Paris in 2016. On Sunday, he looked nervous in the first set, but as we have seen so many times in the slams over the past 20 years, many players can match the likes of Djokovic, Nadal and Roger Federer over a set, or set and a half; doing it long enough to clinch victory is close to impossible.

With the roof open despite a forecast of rain, Ruud, the runner-up to Nadal last year and a man appearing in his third slam final, had a better start. His tactic of getting the ball up high above Djokovic’s shoulders paying early dividends.

Ruud broke serve for 2-0 when Djokovic mishit a smash long, and extended his lead to 3-0 and then 4-2 as Djokovic struggled for rhythm, his footwork sluggish. Tom Brady, the former NFL star, sat next to Djokovic’s wife, Jelena, looking concerned.

But in his 34th…