Jean-François Pérès / Photo credits: Robert Szaniszlo / NurPhoto / NurPhoto via AFP
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09:01, June 13, 2023
Yannick Noah, who remains to this day the last French winner of a Grand Slam tournament in singles, at Roland-Garros in 1983, presented, this Sunday, June 11, the Mousquetaires Cup to Novak Djokovic, winner of the edition 2023 of the Parisian Grand Slam. He confided exclusively to Europe 1 after the final.
A triumphant arrival. This Sunday, June 11, Yannick Noah presented the Coupe des Mousquetaires, the winner’s trophy at Roland-Garros, to Novak Djokovic after the victory of the Serb in the final against Casper Ruud (7-6, 6-3, 7-5). 40 years after his coronation on the Parisian ocher, the former French tennis player was honored during the fortnight. During the final, he was cheered on by the crowd present on the Philippe-Chatrier court. “To arrive there in the middle of this energy, with Novak who has just won his 23rd Grand Slam, it did something to me. It’s a court that matters to me”, declared Yannick Noah at the microphone of Europe 1.
“It’s a story that is being told”
The singer of Africa Saga expressed his admiration for the Serbian’s new historic performance. “Seeing that this is Novak’s third Roland-Garros when it’s not his best surface is quite impressive. The feeling in any case that I have is that there is a margin and that he will win others. It’s a story that is being told, it is not over,” said the 1983 Roland-Garros winner.
“We all grew up here”
The latter also had the impression of feeling too much on the podium, when handing over the trophy to Novak Djokovic: “To find myself there, I just felt a little bit like a hair in the soup. But hey , I know it was love, friendship, family from here. We all grew up here. We dreamed of Roland and through that moment, this testimony that they wanted sharing with me was the whole federation, all those who have been in the photos and those who are not in the photos too”, concluded the one who now lives in Cameroon.