"It's a great time for tennis": Federer calls Djokovic's record breaking win 'incredible'

Roger Federer expressed his joy for Novak Djokovic after he secured his 23rd Grand Slam title at Roland Garros.

Djokovic's victory in the 2023 French Open extended the record for the most Grand Slam titles won by a male tennis player, surpassing Rafael Nadal's 22 titles. Federer, who is currently third on the list with 20 Grand Slam titles, shared his thoughts on Djokovic's latest achievement.

“I thought what Novak did was incredible ,” Federer said.

“It’s great for tennis, great for sports, when tennis writes its own history. It keeps on adding to it like we’ve seen with Serena Williams, Rafa, myself, and now with Novak – it’s a great time for tennis to be honest. To be a fan as well but also a player.”

The Swiss former tennis player recalled that Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles seemed impossible to surpass in the past, but the Big Three (Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic) have now surpassed that number:

“I remember when I came on tour and Pete Sampras had reached 14 [Grand Slams] we thought, ‘okay that one is going to stay forever.’ Then I went to 15, then we pushed each other to 20, I don’t remember who was first, then Rafa pushed it to 22 I believe and now Novak pushed it to 23 and it looks like he’s going to keep on doing that for a long time still to come which is great and I wish him all the best. He’s not the youngest anymore, he looks young but its not easy. I thought it was an amazing victory and I couldn’t have been more happy for him to be honest.”

Federer commented on the future of former world No. 1 Andy Murray, who is preparing for Wimbledon: “Andy is a special man,” he said.

“I’m very happy he’s still able to play you know, he loves it, he truly loves it. I think with all these complications he’s had with his hip it’s amazing to see that he’s still going. What he’s going through is incredible,” 20-time Grand Slam champion added.

“Funnily enough he just won a challenger in Surbiton last week – he played that the same week Novak got to this incredible record of 23 slams so he deserves so much respect. I hope he’s going to win many many rounds at Wimbledon in a couple of weeks,” he concluded.