Rafael Nadal among the first to congratulate Novak Djokovic after historic French Open triumph
Rafael Nadal wasted no time in congratulating arch-rival Novak Djokovic on his 2023 French Open triumph, a victory that helped the Serb leapfrog him in the Slam race.
Facing off against Casper Ruud in the final on Sunday, Djokovic secured a hard-fought 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 victory in straight sets. As a result, he took the lead in the Slam race for the first time ever in his career, having trailed Nadal and Roger Federer for a large part of the last decade and a half.
Mere moments after the 36-year-old fell to the clay in Paris in jubilation, the Spaniard took to Twitter to pass his congratulations. Remarking that winning 23 Grand Slams was thought of as impossible just a few years ago, Nadal urged his colleague to enjoy his "amazing achievement" in the company of his friends and family:
"Many congrats on this amazing achievement, Novak Djokovic. 23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it! Enjoy it with your family and team!" Nadal wrote.
🏻Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole
23 is a number that just a few years back was imposible to think about, and you made it!
Enjoy it with your family and team! 👏🏻
With the victory, Novak Djokovic is now tied with the legendary Serena Williams for the most Majors won by a tennis player, male or female, in the Open Era. With the American no longer around, it is very likely that the World No. 3 will finish his career as the solitary leader of that particular list.
Meanwhile, the 23-time Grand Slam champion will become the new World No. 1 next week, courtesy of his title run at Roland Garros. Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev will drop one spot each to the World No. 2 and World No. 3 positions, respectively.
Rafael Nadal trails head-to-head against Novak Djokovic 30-29
Coming into the 2023 French Open, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal were tied with 22 Grand Slams each to their name. Nadal's 22nd Major title, incidentally, came at the French Open last year, where he beat Djokovic in the quarterfinals and then downed Casper Ruud in the final.
Starting 2022 with 20 Grand Slam titles, the Serb triumphed at the Wimbledon Championships for his 21st Grand Slam, followed by a 22nd Slam title at the Australian Open this year.
With Rafael Nadal having hinted at the possibility of retiring next year, chances are that fans might not witness another Nadal-Djokovic encounter. At the moment, the head-to-head is in favor of Djokovic, who has won 30 matches against the Spaniard as compared to 29 wins for Nadal.