Djokovic Enters French Open With Chance to Top Absent Nadal With Record 23rd Slam Title

Djokovic Enters French Open With Chance to Top Absent Nadal With Record 23rd Slam Title
Serbia's Novak Djokovic poses with the trophy in front of the Eiffel tower, on June 14, 2021, in Paris, during a photocall one day after winning the Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament. Christophe Archambault/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
The Associated Press
Updated:

PARIS—For quite some time, Novak Djokovic has made his long-term goal clear: He wanted to focus on accumulating Grand Slam titles in order to surpass the totals of Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

With the French Open set to start Sunday without either Nadal (who is injured) or Federer (who is retired) for the first time since 1998, Djokovic finally gets the chance to lead the career standings alone with a men’s-record 23. If he winds up with the championship two weeks from now, Djokovic would break a tie with Nadal and have three more trophies than Federer finished with.