Novak Djokovic advanced to the Paris Masters 2023 quarterfinals by defeating Tallon Griekspoor 2:1 on Thursday. The match lasted for two hours and 40 minutes.
Novak Djokovic rallied from a set down to defeat the flying Dutchman. Image- SaltWire
Tallon Griekspoor put up a very fierce resistance against the world's number one tennis player. The Serb, on the other hand, unlike in his slick second-round win, looked rusty in only his second singles match since playing in the Davis Cup six weeks ago, losing a 4-1 lead in the first set and squandering three break opportunities early in the second.
The 24-times Grand Slam winner mounted a comeback, however, as he convincingly won the tiebreak and took the decider to continue his quest for a record-extending seventh title in Paris Masters.
Meanwhile, Holger Rune, who is currently seventh on the list, eliminated the German Daniel Altmaier with a convincing 2:0 (6:3, 6:3). The Dane will face Djokovic in a rematch of last year's Paris Masters final.
The talented Dane has a 2:1 lead in head-to-head duels with Djokovic, and the last time he celebrated was in last year's Masters final in Paris after an upset, so this is Novak's opportunity for a sort of rematch.
However, fourth seed Jannik Sinner withdrew from the Paris Masters, citing health reasons after his second-round clash against Mackenzie McDonald ended at 2:37 am on Thursday.
The Italian was due to play Australia's Alex de Minaur, who will now face in-form Andrey Rublev, the fifth-seed Russian who earned his 20th Masters 1000 win of the season by beating qualifier Botic Van de Zandschulp 6-3, 6-3.
Meanwhile, seventh seed Stefanos Tsitsipas secured his spot at the ATP Finals with a 7-6(2), 6-4 win over German 10th seed Alexander Zverev. The Greek will play Karen Khachanov in the quarter-finals after the 16th seed beat fellow Russian Roman Safiullin 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Poland's Hubert Hurkacz, the 11th seed, remained in contention for a spot at the tournament in Turin by beating Argentine Francisco Cerundolo 6-4 6-3. He will meet Grigor Dimitrov for a place in the semi-finals after the Bulgarian routed Alexander Bublik 6-2, 6-2.
From one man unbelievably acquiring 13 French Open titles to the rise of numerous unexpected champions, the event has seen it all. Let us have a trip to memory lane and look at the male French Open winners from the Last 10 years.
The French Open, often known as Roland-Garros, is an annual tennis tournament held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris. The French Open is the second Grand Slam of the year. It is the only Grand Slam played on clay court, making it one of the most anticipated tennis events of the year. It is thought to be one of the most arduous grand slams to win, as the best-of-five-sets format on clay makes the battle extremely exhausting, and only the fittest can win. However, during its 131 years of reigning, the French Open has been a witness of several unexpected moments. From one man unbelievably acquiring 13 French Open titles to the rise of numerous unexpected champions, the event has seen it all. Let us have a trip to memory lane and look at the male French Open winners from the Last 10 years.
Rafael Nadal, then 9-time French Open champion, resigned from the event in 2016 after consecutive straight-set triumphs and great form due to a significant wrist injury. Top seed Novak Djokovic, on the other hand, had a number of his strongest rivals eliminated or debilitated at the Open. With the 'King of Clay' out of the competition, Djokovic seemed to have only Andy Murray to contend with, who was floundering against far lower-ranked opponents. Furthermore, the Serbian did not waste this rare opportunity and performed admirably to come back from a set down to eliminate Andy Murray. As a result of his victory, he won his maiden French Open title, and he became the first man since 1969 to retain all four Grand Slam titles in a row.
2. French Open 2017 winner: Rafael Nadal
Nadal accomplished 'La Decima'( It means The Tenth in Spanish) with a 6-2, 6-3, 6-1 annihilation of Stan Wawrinka in the final, giving him a perfect ten at Roland Garros that year. Not just because of the title but the way he sailed through seven rounds, solidified his position as the best clay-courter of all time. On his approach to the triumph, the Mallorcan did not drop a single set and only lost 35 games, the fewest he has ever lost when claiming a Grand Slam title.
The Spaniard's triumph at Roland Garros in 2018 handed him 17 Grand Slam championships in his career and expanded his record for most Grand Slam titles in a single major. Furthermore, He earned this honour by thrashing Dominic Thiem in straight sets(6–4, 6–3, 6–2). Nonetheless, At that time, on the clay at Roland Garros, Nadal won 11 trophies, tying the legendary Margaret Court for the most titles at a single Grand Slam and again cementing his position as the 'King of Clay.'
4. French Open 2019 winner: Rafael Nadal
Coming into the final, the Spaniard had only dropped one set and was coming off a convincing semi-final triumph against Roger Federer. His opponent, Dominic Thiem, on the other hand, was hoping to build on his win over Novak Djokovic, as well as his straight-sets victory over Nadal in the Barcelona Open semi-final, to reach his second Grand Slam final. Thiem was on the verge of achieving his dreams by claiming the second set, however, an inexorable Nadal bounced back in a poised fashion and extended his record-breaking reign at Roland-Garros by winning a 12th men's singles title with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory.
5. French Open 2020 winner: Rafael Nadal
Tennis fans were drooling at the idea of another dramatic battle in one of the sport's most historical rivalries, but it turned out to be one of the most one-sided Grand Slam finals in the Open era. Although, The odds were stacked against the Serbian in his match against the 34-year-old Nadal, who was attempting to win his 13th title on the red clay courts of Roland Garros. However, putting a stop to the speculations, the 'King of Clay' delivered one of the most humiliating defeats on great rival Novak Djokovic, demolishing the world number one 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 to claim a record-tying 20th Grand Slam men's singles title.
Djokovic spun up some more magic on the court less than 48 hours after defeating 13-time champion Rafael Nadal in one of the best tennis knockdowns. However, after falling behind two sets to Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece—a 22-year-old who was playing in his first Grand Slam final—Djokovic rebounded to win in five games, 6–7 (8), 2–6, 6–3, 6–2, 6–4. Eventually, he was richly compensated for his spectacular comeback by winning the French Open 2021, his second in Paris and the 19th Grand Slam title.
The "King of Clay" Rafael Nadal lived up to his title once again, overwhelming Casper Ruud 6-3, 6-3, 6-0 to win the French Open 2022 title. It was his record-extending 14th French Open title and record-extending 22nd major title overall. It marked the first time in his career that he won the Australian Open and the French Open in the same calendar year. Nadal also became the third man to defeat four top 10 players en route to a major title since the introduction of ATP rankings in 1973.
8. French Open 2023 winner: Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic won his men's-record 23rd Grand Slam title with a victory over Casper Ruud in French Open 2023 Final. Djokovic broke a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most major singles trophies in the history of men's tennis. The Serb moves into the outright lead of men's majors ahead of Rafael Nadal. He also becomes the first man to win all four majors at least three times. By winning his 23rd Slam title at the French Open beating Norwegian world No. 4 Casper Ruud 7-6(1), 6-3, 7-5 in the final. In addition, Djokovic broke away from Rafael Nadal in the men's pecking order. Joining Serena Williams on the most Slam count by any player in the Open Era, he also became the first man to win all the Majors at least thrice.
The 21-year-old Spaniard became the youngest man to win a major across all three tennis surfaces, claiming the French Open singles crown. He toppled Olympic champion Alexander Zverev in five sets, 6-3, 2-6, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2. Carlos Alcaraz has roared to a perfect 3-0 in major finals, adding his win in Paris on clay to his US Open triumph (hard court) in 2022 and Wimbledon (grass) last year.
Alcaraz also joins Spanish compatriot Rafael Nadal as the only man to win a Roland-Garros title under the age of 22 since the year 2000 (Nadal did so 2005-07).
10. French Open 2025 winner: Carlos Alcaraz
Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz recovered from two sets down, saving three championship points on the way to beat world No. 1 Jannik Sinner 4-6, 6-7 (4), 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an incredible French Open 2025 men's singles final. It was the longest final in tournament history (5 hours, 29 minutes) in the Open Era.
This was the second longest grand slam final in the Open Era; Alcaraz is just the sixth player ever to come back from two sets down to win a French Open final; and the Spaniard is also the youngest player to win two straight men’s singles titles in Paris since Nadal, the King of Clay, won four in a row between 2005 and 2008.
Alcaraz has now won his fifth major title aged 22 years, one month and three days old, the exact same age his hero Rafael Nadal was when he won his fifth at Wimbledon in 2008.
Novak Djokovic is only 8 matches away to break Roger Federer’s men’s singles milestone. Let's take a look at the top 10 players who have the records of most matches played in Grand Slam in the Open Era.
Novak Djokovic has now played 430 Grand Slam matches, taking sole possession of the record for the most singles matches played in the Open Era, ahead of Federer (429) and Serena Williams (423). No other player has reached 400 matches. Let's take a look at the top 10 players who have the records of most matches played in Grand Slam in the Open Era.
Stan Wawrinka, who turned professional in 2002, played a total of 225 Grand Slam matches. He is a three-time Grand Slam champion and appeared in 50-straight Grand Slams before missing the 2017 US Open with two season-ending left knee surgeries. He is one of just three players to have defeated Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal at Grand Slams. Wawrinka reached four Grand Slam singles finals in his career to date, winning three, the 2014 Australian Open, the 2015 French Open and the 2016 US Open; each time he defeated the reigning world No. 1 in the championship match (Rafael Nadal once and Novak Djokovic twice, respectively).
9. Stefan Edberg | 225
Swede Edberg competed in only 225 Grand Slam matches and he won 178 of those. Edberg, who turned professional in 1983 and retired in 1996, won two Wimbledon titles, two US Open trophies and two Australian Open titles during his 13-year career. In total he played 1,071 career matches for a win-loss record of 801–270 (74.8%)
8. Pete Sampras | 241
Pete Sampras has competed in 241 matches at Grand Slam tournaments. He compiled a 762-222 career singles record (77.4%) putting him in the top-10 all-time for the Open Era. Sampras captured 64 tour singles titles in 265 overall tournaments (was also a finalist in 24 tournaments). At the age of 19 years and 28 days, Sampras became the youngest US Open men’s singles champion in history, defeating his career-rival Andre Agassi.
Andy Murray has played 257 Major matches (200-57) from the 1,001 total singles matches he has competed in (739-262). Among the four Grand Slam events, the Brit has played the most matches at Wimbledon (74), where he has a 61-13 record.
6. Ivan Lendl | 271
Ivan Lendl competed in 271 Grand Slam matches (222-49) from the 1,340 matches tour-level matches he played in total (1,068-242). The Czech-American contested more matches at the US Open (86) than any other Grand Slam and compiled a 73-13 record at Flushing Meadows.
5. Andre Agassi | 277
Andre Agassi contested 1,144 singles matches overall in his career (870-274), with 277 of these being played at Grand Slam events (224-53). Among the four Majors, the American played the most matches at the US Open (98), where he accumulated a 79-19 record.
Jimmy Connors played an ATP record 1,557 matches in his career (1,274-283), with 282 of these coming at Majors (233-49). The American contested more matches at the US Open (115) than any other Grand Slam and amassed a 98-17 record at the New York showpiece.
3. Rafael Nadal | 358
Rafael Nadal has competed in 358 matches at Grand Slam tournaments (314-44) from the 1,300 matches he has played in total (1,075-225). The Spaniard holds a 112-4 record at Roland Garros, where he has played more matches than at any other tournament.
Roger Federer is the legendary player who had the record of most matches played in Grand Slam but Djokovic beat him recently. He played 1,526 matches in total in his career (1,251-275), with 429 of his matches coming at Grand Slam events (369-60). The Swiss earned over 100 victories at both Wimbledon (105-14) and the Australian Open (102-15), while he also amassed 89-14 and 73-17 records at the US Open and Roland Garros respectively.
1. Novak Djokovic | 430
Following his third round win at Australian Open 2025, Novak Djokovic surpassed his great rival Roger Federer. Djokovic has contested 430* matches at Majors (371-49) from 1,325 matches overall (1,106-219). The Serbian has won more than 90 matches at the French Open (96-16), the Australian Open (94-9), and Wimbledon (93-11), while he holds a 88-13 US Open record.
Jannik Sinner won the Australian Open 2025 title after defeating Alexander Zverev. With this, the Italian becomes the first man to retain the title since Novak Djokovic’s “three-peat” from 2019 to 2021. Let's take a look at the Australian Open winners list (Men).
In this article, we will brief you on the Australian Open winners list (Men).
Jannik Sinner claims Australian Open 2025 title
Jannik Sinner won the latest edition of the Australian Open after defeating Alexander Zverev 6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3.
With this, the Italian becomes the first man to retain the title since Novak Djokovic’s “three-peat” from 2019 to 2021.
Aged 23 years 163 days, Sinner is also the youngest man to win multiple Australian Open titles since Jim Courier in 1992-93.
Djokovic won the most titles
Over the last decade, the tournament has been dominated by Novak Djokovic who has won the tournament ten times in this period (2008, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2023).
The only other players to win the tournament in this time are Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka.
Djokovic's record in the tournament is impressive, with his ten wins coming in a consecutive period of 11 years.
He has been able to defeat some of the greatest players in the world, such as Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, in the final of the tournament.
Djokovic also has two hat-tricks of Australian Open titles, once between 2011-2013 and then doing an encore from 2019-2021.
The Serbian’s first Australian Open crown came in 2008, when he came from a set down to beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 7-6.
Djokovic has beaten Andy Murray in as many as four Australian Open finals while he has also beaten Rafael Nadal in two finals.
On the other hand, Roger has won the Australian Open twice in the last decade, in 2017 and 2018.
He has been a finalist in the tournament five times in this period, showing his consistency at the tournament.
While Stan Wawrinka has won the Australian Open once, in 2014. He defeated Rafael Nadal in the final, who was the defending champion at the time.
This win was a major upset and Wawrinka proved that he is capable of winning the biggest tournaments in the world.
It is interesting to note that, in the last decade, the men's singles of the Australian Open has been dominated by Swiss players, with four out of the ten titles won by either Roger Federer or Stan Wawrinka.
While Novak Djokovic, another Swiss player, has dominated the tournament with 10 titles. This shows the strength of Swiss players in the tennis world, particularly on hard courts.
Tennis Stats: Players to win back-to-back Grand Slam titles without losing
To play at a consistent level at Grand Slams is a very difficult task. Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic are the two contrasting examples. Let's take a look at the tennis Stats of players who won back-to-back Grand Slam titles without losing.
To play at a consistent level at Grand Slams is a very difficult task. Rod Laver and Novak Djokovic are the two contrasting examples. In the Open Era, Rod Laver won 4 majors consecutively in 1969 and Novak Djokovic won 4 majors from mid-2015 to mid-2016.
Let's take a look at the tennis Stats of players who won back-to-back Grand Slam titles without losing.
Tennis Stats | Players to win back-to-back Grand Slams
Rod Laver | 4
Rod Laver knows what it takes to complete tennis’ ultimate achievement, having won the Grand Slam as an amateur in 1962 and again as a pro in 1969. He defeated Tony Roche in the US Open final (7-9, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2) to win a fourth consecutive major title. Laver won the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open in the same calendar year (1969), which still stands as a unique achievement in the Open era.
As a professional Laver was banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments as well as other tournaments. In 1968, Laver was again able to compete. During his career, he won eleven Grand Slam tournaments, eight Pro Slam tournaments, and five Davis Cup titles. He was also the first player to win four consecutive Grand Slams in the same calendar year in 1962.
Novak Djokovic | 4
Novak Djokovic also achieved four consecutive Grand Slam titles. He won the last two majors of 2015 (Wimbledon and US Open) and the first two Slams of 2016 (Australian Open and French Open). By winning the title in Paris in 2016, Djokovic completed a 'Career Grand Slam' (winning all four major tournaments), the fourth man to do so in the open era after Andre Agassi (1999), Roger Federer (2009) and Rafael Nadal (2010). He also completed a golden slam in 2023 when he won all four grand slams and the Olympic games.
Djokovic is the first man to win 24 Slam titles. He has tied Margaret Court for the most ever of any player in any era. Djokovic also won 10 Australian Open, which makes him the record holder for the most titles at that tournament.
The Paris Olympics 2024 has already begun and thousands of athletes are going head to head for the medals. Let's look at the list of all the medal winners day by day.
TheParis Olympics 2024started on 26th July with a mega opening ceremony. A total of 10,500 athletes have participated in the Olympics 2024. The eyes of these athletes are on winning medals for their respective countries. The first gold medal of the Paris Games went to China, but we'll get more winners, joining the list every day from July 27- Aug 11. Let's see the list of all the medal winners day by day.