'Been A Privilege To Follow Djokovic's Career,' AB de Villiers All Praise As Tennis Great Wins 23rd Grand Slam

Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers 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 Ruud in straight sets to win his record 23rd Grand Slam title on Sunday. He has now won six out of the last eight majors in which he has participated. "It's been a privilege to follow Novak Djokovic's career! Youngsters of today should take note," tweeted de Villiers.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic continued to extend his lead in the Big Titles race as on Sunday he clinched the French Open 2023 to become the first player to capture all four major trophies (Wimbledon, US Open, French Open, Australian Open) at least three times.

In the race for the Big Titles, which includes Grand Slam titles, Olympic singles gold medals, the Nitto ATP Finals, and ATP Masters 1000 competitions, Djokovic has pulled far ahead of his main competitors, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer (who is now retired).

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

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

In the French Open 2023 final at the Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic overcame Ruud's strong start to secure 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 past two days in the second and third sets en route to a three-hour, 13-minute victory.

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

In 114 Tests, de Villiers scored 8,765 runs at an average of 50.66. He scored 22 centuries and 46 half-centuries in his long-format career, with the best score of 278*. He is the fourth-highest scorer for Proteas in Tests.

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

In 78 T20Is, de Villiers scored 1,672 runs at an average of 26.12. He scored ten half-centuries in the format, with the 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 batter.