Novak Djokovic pointedly accused an umpire of rushing him during the heated early stages of the 2023 French Open final. The 24-time major champion had famously struggled to claim the title at Roland Garros until he finally overcame Andy Murray in 2016 to secure a coveted Career Grand Slam.

Since that breakthrough, the Serbian icon has triumphed twice more on the clay courts of Paris, this year cruising past Mackenzie McDonald from the USA in straight sets in his opener. Djokovic’s second triumph came against Stefanos Tsitsipas in 2021. Fast forward two years, and Djokovic smoothly overcame the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, setting the scene for another final on Court Philippe Chatrier with Casper Ruud as his opponent. The match, however, started with friction.

Faced with the Norwegian competitor Ruud, who had secured an early break, Djokovic was behind 5-6 with a critical serve looming. An exchange with umpire Damien Dumusois soon erupted, however.

“Where is the rush? Why are you rushing?” asked Djokovic, who seemingly felt as though he was being moved along by the umpire. Dumusois countered with a brisk: “I’m not.”

“Wait for us to sit down and then call the score,” insisted the visibly annoyed Serb. “Can you call the score when we come down or not? We’re playing one hour and 10 minutes for one set, best-of-five Grand Slam on clay. I mean, you’re rushing the score. There’s 10 seconds left.”

The umpire quickly responded: “You can see that I’m really trying to understand,” but was promptly cut off by Djokovic, who wanted to address his issues with the insufficient time allocated for the changeover.

Tennis luminary Tim Henman, stationed in Eurosport’s commentary box, offered his take on the squabble, saying: “I think it has actually been an issue at the change of ends how quickly they have been having to change around, not just between points. They are both complaining about different things and the umpire has got his hands full!”

Simon Reed weighed in too, adding: “I think he’s hardly rushing Novak, to be honest, but Novak feels rushed. He is exerting a little bit of pressure on him. Casper is seemingly trying to put on the opposite pressure.”

The argument subsided, and contrary to what some might have expected, Djokovic seemed unaffected. He composed himself back on the baseline, won the game for a tiebreak opportunity, and triumphed convincingly with a 7-1 margin. After lasting one hour and 21 minutes, Djokovic seized the upper hand, taking the first set. What ensued was a masterclass in control, as he comfortably claimed the second set 6-3.

The final set echoed the first, but a tiebreak wasn’t required as the Serbian ace clinched it 7-5 to be named French Open champion for the third time. With this triumph, he overtook the legendary Rafael Nadal with 23 Grand Slam titles, while the Spaniard remained on 22 and later retired in December 2024 with the same tally. In contrast, Djokovic would later secure the US Open that year, taking his major count to an incredible 24, and added an Olympic gold medal to his collection the following year.