‘Dokovic’s career has been a privilege to follow,’ AB de Villiers heaps all praise as tennis great wins 23rd Grand Slam

Legendary South African batsman AB de Villiers has congratulated Serbian tennis star Novak Djokovic on his French Open 2023 win, saying that it has been a privilege to follow his career.

In the clay-court major final, the 36-year-old defeated Casper Rudd in straight sets on Sunday to win his record 23rd Grand Slam title. He has now won six of the last eight Majors he has participated in. “It’s a pleasure to follow Novak DjokovikThe career of Today’s youth should pay attention,” de Villiers tweeted.

23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic continued to extend his lead in the race for major titles as he became the first player to win all four major trophies (Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, Australian Open) by winning the French Open 2023 on Sunday. became. at least three times.

In the race for Big Titles, which include Grand Slam titles, Olympic singles gold medals, the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, Djokovic has far outpaced his main competitors, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (now retired). went. ,

The Serbian holds the record for most championship wins (23; singles record), ATP Finals wins (6; tied with Federer); and Masters 1000 wins (38; singles record). He currently has 67 major title wins against Nadal’s 59 and Federer’s 54.

The 36-year-old is close to becoming the first man since Rod Laver in 1969 to complete the Grand Slam by winning all four majors in a single season. Djokovic won the first three major championships of the year before losing in the final of the US Open in 2021.

In the final of the French Open 2023 at the Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic overcame a strong start from Ruud to seal his historic victory. The third seed won the first set after trailing 1-4 in the tie-break. He then produced some of his best hitting of the last two days in the second and third sets to win in three hours and 13 minutes.

De Villiers on the other hand has also been an absolute legend for South Africa. In his international cricket career that lasted from 2004-2018, de Villiers made a name for himself with his consistency and 360-degree hitting across the park.

De Villiers scored 8765 runs in 114 Tests at an average of 50.66. He scored 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries in his longer format career with a best score of 278*. He is the fourth highest scorer for the Proteas in Tests.

The right-handed batsman was also a highly successful ODI player. In 228 matches, he scored 9,577 runs in 218 innings at an average of 53.50 with a best score of 176. He scored 25 centuries and 53 fifties in ODIs. He is also the second highest scorer for South Africa in ODIs.

De Villiers scored 1,672 runs in 78 T20 matches at an average of 26.12. He scored ten half-centuries in the format with a best score of 79*. He is the fourth highest scorer in T20Is for SA. With 19,864 runs in 415 matches at an average of 48.33, 47 centuries and 108 fifties, he stands as South Africa’s second most successful batsman.