French Open 2023: Novak Djokovic tries to win his 23rd Grand Slam title; hell play Casper Ruud

Novak Djokovic will be seeking his mens-record 23rd Grand Slam title in the French Open final.

Casper Ruud will be seeking his first.

They meet Sunday at Court Philippe Chatrier.

Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, wants to break a tie with rival Rafael Nadal for the most major championships by a man. Another triumph would also make Djokovic, who won at Roland Garros in 2016 and 2021, the first man in tennis history with at least three trophies from each Slam event.

This will be Ruud’s third final in the past five majors. Last year, the 24-year-old from Norway was the runner-up to Nadal at the French Open and to Carlos Alcaraz at the U.S. Open.

The No. 3-seeded Djokovic owns a 4-0 head-to-head record against No. 4 Ruud and has won all eight sets theyve played against each other.

WHEN IS THE MENS FINAL? Play begins in Djokovic vs. Ruud at Court Philippe Chatrier at about 2:30 p.m. local time in Paris, which is 8:30 a.m. EDT. That will be preceded by the womens doubles final at 11:30 a.m. local time, 5:30 a.m. EDT, with Leylah Fernandez and Taylor Townsend facing Hsieh Su-Wei and Wang Xinyu.

WHAT HAPPENED IN THE WOMENS FINAL? Defending champion Iga Swiatek went from way ahead to suddenly behind in the French Open womens final on Saturday. But the No. 1-ranked Swiatek righted herself and grabbed the last three games to get past unseeded Karolina Muchova 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. That gave Swiatek a third career championship at the French Open and fourth Grand Slam title.

BETTING GUIDE Djokovic is listed as a minus-465 money-line pick, according to FanDuel Sportsbook, shifting to make him an even greater favorite than he was after the semifinals ended Friday. Ruud is at plus-350. Think Djokovic will win in straight sets? Thats at plus-140; Ruud in three sets is plus-1,300.

GET CAUGHT UP What you need to know about the years second Grand Slam tennis tournament: Rafael Nadal is not here Can AI help prevent cyberbullying of tennis players? French players bid a quick adieu to French Open Novak Djokovic can break a tie with Rafael Nadal by winning Slam No. 23 Iga Swiatek, Aryna Sabalenka and Elena Rybakina split the past four major titles Carlos Alcaraz hits shots no one else does and he likes to see the replays Facts and figures about the French Open, including a look back at 2022 TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE Try your hand at the APs tennis quiz here.

THE NUMBER TO KNOW 4-0 Iga Swiatek’s record in Grand Slam finals, joining Monica Seles and Naomi Osaka as the only women to start their careers that way.

THE QUOTE TO KNOW “Its pretty surreal, everything.” Iga Swiatek, on winning her third French Open title and fourth Grand Slam trophy overall.

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