’23 is a number that just a few years back was impossible to think about’: Rafael Nadal heaps praise on Novak Djokovic

Rafael Nadal congratulated Novak Djokovic for his record 23rd Grand Slam title after he regered a comprehensive 7-6 (1), 6-3, 7-5 win over Casper Ruud in the French Open final on Sunday.
“Many congrats on this amazing achievement @DjokerNole 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!” Nadal wrote on Twitter.
Nadal, who has won the French Open fourteen times missed this year’s tournament due to injury. Rafael Nadal is expected to need about five months to recover from arthroscopic surgery on his left hip, a timeline that likely would keep him out for the rest of this season.
Djokovic, 36-year-old from Serbia, broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the hory of men’s tennis, which dates to the 1800s.

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! 👏🏻
— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) June 11, 2023
This victory goes alongside the French Open titles earned Djokovic in 2016 and 2021, making him the only man with at least three from each major event. Since collecting his very first Slam trophy at the 2008 Australian Open, he has accumulated totals of 10 there, seven at Wimbledon and three at the U.S. Open.
Also worth noting: Djokovic is again halfway to a calendar-year Grand Slam — winning all four majors in one season — something no man has achieved since Rod Laver in 1969.
Djokovic came close to pulling off that feat in 2021, when he won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and made it all the way to the title match at the U.S. Open before losing to Daniil Medvedev.

Djokovic will resume that monumental pursuit at Wimbledon, which begins on the grass of the All England Club on July 3.