“Every Slam now is worth five Slams from ten years ago”: Djokovic on why this Roland-Garros triumph means more than any other

Of course Grand Slam No 23 is going to be magical – but this particular title means a lot to Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic poses for photos with his trophy (AI/Reuters/Panoramic)

June 12, 2023

When you make tennis history, it’s bound to mean more than any common-or-garden win – but Novak Djokovic has special reasons for thinking of Roland-Garros 2023 as particularly special.

“At this point in my career, every Slam title is worth like five Slams were ten years ago,” he told Serbian media after winning his 23rd Grand Slam. “I won’t stop now, as long as I am feeling like this physically and mentally.”

Djokovic: Roland-Garros is the toughest of the four for me to win

But he also explained that Roland-Garros had been a particular challenge for him, with the Paris clay the most difficult surface of the four Slams for him to master.

“Seeing this trophy here, that also, for me, symbolises a great battle that I had with myself mostly, of course with all the great players in Roland Garros that is one of the four greatest tournaments, but for me by far the toughest one of the four to win,” he said in English during his press conference.

“Coming into clay season, I don’t know what to expect. Every single clay season year in the last five, six years, it’s been kind of a lot of ups and downs, some brilliant matches and some really bad matches. This surface is so challenging. It just makes you work for every shot double as much as on any other surface. I mean, that’s how I feel, at least.

“So it’s symbolic in a way that I won my historic 23rd here in Roland Garros, makes it even sweeter and greater knowing what it takes to win Roland Garros for me. It’s not to take anything away from of course the winning of any other Slam, but just Roland Garros is a highest mountain to climb for me, I think, in my career. That’s why it’s even more satisfying.”