Novak Djokovic has claimed his first-ever gold medal in his fifth appearance at an Olympic Games after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a gut-busting battle at Roland Garros in Paris.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner fought to a 7-6(4), 7-6(2), win over his Spanish nemesis, who beat him in straight sets last month in the Wimbledon final. In a match of very fine margins, Djokovic held his nerve to become the first Serbian in history to win an Olympic tennis event and the oldest player to win the men’s title in the Open Era. In what was one of his best performances on the court in recent years given the enormity of the occasion, he hit 16 winners and won 74% of his first service points.
Djokovic has now achieved a career Golden Slam which includes winning every major event and the Olympics at least once. The only other players to have achieved this in singles are Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.
“We almost played for three hours to set up an incredible battle, incredible fight.” Said Djokovic.
“When the last shot went past him, that was the only moment I actually thought I could win the match. I believed that I could win, but to actually win it because he keeps on coming back. Asking me to play my best tennis.”
“We both had our chances to break, but I think when it mattered, we both came up with some big serves, some big plays.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock. Honestly.”
With a gold medal on the line, the final began with a scintillating 93-minute opening set with both players producing their best tennis. A total of 13 break point opportunities came and went with Djokovic having five of those. At 4-4, Alcaraz had four separate chances to break and serve the set out but he was unable to convert all of them. In the tiebreaker, Djokovic finally got the breakthrough he wanted by hitting a forehand return that painted the line for a mini break before holding his nerve to seal the 7-6 lead after an Alcaraz cross-court shot was returned by a winning volley by the Serbian.
The tussle continued into the second frame with Djokovic having a golden opportunity to break three games in but he was denied by some gutsy play from Alcaraz. Heading into the second tiebreaker, Djokovic finally managed to pull away with the help of some blistering forehand winners. A cross-court forehand shot enabled him to break for a 3-2 lead before he went on to claim three points in a row. The victory was finally secured with another clean winner down the line.
Just seconds after the match ended, it was visible how much Olympic glory meant to Djokovic who burst into tears on the court. Even though he is one of the most decorated players in history, it was clear that this success was one of the most meaningful of his career.
“I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37 I finally did it.” He said.
“This is my fifth Olympic Games. In three out of four Olympic Games, I played semi-finals and never managed to overcome that.
“That hurdle for some reason when I entered the court for semi-finals against (Lorenzo) Musetti, I was thinking about it.
“I think today before the match, I actually did not feel as nervous as I would normally feel because I secured the medal, but of course, I was going to go for gold.”
There were also tears from Alcaraz, who is 16 years younger than his rival, but for different reasons. When he first went to speak to Eurosport’s Alex Corretja, the Spaniard was unable to without crying.
“The truth is, it was very complicated.” A disappointed Alcaraz said in Spanish after regaining his composure.
“Three hours of phenomenal fighting. It is never easy. Tough moment for me. In the tiebreak, I just couldn’t get my level up. A very painful to lose today.”
Djokovic has now won 19 matches in singles at the Olympics which is the most by a male player since the sport was reintroduced into the Games in 1988.
