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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz compete for Olympic men’s singles tennis gold

Broadcast United News Desk
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz compete for Olympic men’s singles tennis gold

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PARIS (AP) — Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will battle for the men’s singles tennis gold medal at the Paris Olympics on Sunday, the latest in a fierce rivalry between the old and young that pitted them against each other in the Wimbledon final three weeks ago.

Alcaraz won that match — “pretty easily,” Djokovic admitted — just as he had done last year when they battled for the trophy at the All England Club.

At the conclusion of Alcaraz’s semifinal in Paris on Friday afternoon — before Djokovic’s semifinal later that evening — the 21-year-old Spaniard was asked what it felt like to play the 37-year-old Serb again.

“I hope so,” Alcaraz said with a smile, “same as Wimbledon.”

Here is some additional information about the men’s tennis singles finals:

Why is the Djokovic-Alcaraz men’s singles tennis gold medal match so important?
Djokovic is the oldest male player to reach an Olympic tennis singles final, while Alcaraz is the youngest.

Djokovic is considered by many to be the greatest male tennis player of all time, a view backed up by statistics like his 24 Grand Slam titles (more than any other male athlete) and more than 400 weeks as No. 1 (more than any man or woman).

There was essentially one thing missing from his resume: an Olympic gold medal. Before defeating Lorenzo Musetti on Friday in Paris, Djokovic was 0-3 in Summer Olympic semifinals, losing each time to the eventual champion — Rafael Nadal in Beijing, Andy Murray in London, Alexander Zverev in Tokyo.

Djokovic only won bronze at the 2008 Olympics, but he is now eager to make further progress.

“I know,” Musetti said, “what it meant to him to win the gold medal.”

Alcaraz is the biggest star in sports right now, having just won Wimbledon and in June the French Open, which is held annually at Roland Garros, whose clay courts are also the venue for the tennis tournament at the Paris Olympics.

In 2022, he became the first teenager to reach No. 1 in the ATP rankings and now has four Grand Slam titles – the first male player to win at least once on clay, grass and hard courts before the age of 22.

“Alcaraz has proven that he is the best player in the world right now,” said Djokovic, who was seeded top at the Olympics after No. 1 Jannik Sinner withdrew with tonsillitis.

Alcaraz is the No. 2 seed, but other players tended to agree with Djokovic’s assessment.

“It’s no secret now,” said Tommy Paul of the United States, who lost to the Spanish star in the Wimbledon and Olympic quarterfinals, “that Alcaraz is like the gold medal standard.”

Why did Djokovic wear a grey sheath on his knee at the Olympics?
Djokovic tore the meniscus in his right knee during his fourth-round match at the French Open on June 3 and underwent surgery two days later in Paris. Most expected him to miss Wimbledon and the Olympics, which begin on July 1.

No.

He showed up at the All England Club wearing a grey sheath on his right knee, and although it took a few matches to get back into shape, Djokovic finally looked very much like himself. That was until he faced Alcaraz for the title.

The knee was problematic in just one match at the Summer Olympics — pain in the second set of Thursday night’s quarterfinal win over Stefanos Tsitsipas — but he did extensive training with his physiotherapists between that match and the match against Musetti, and all went well.

“I feel like I’m different than I was at Wimbledon. The way I move, the way I hit the ball,” said Djokovic, who knocked out Nadal in the second round of the Paris Open.

“I came into Sunday feeling more confident in myself and my chances of reaching the final,” he said.

Who is the favorite to win the gold medal between Djokovic and Alcaraz?
BetMGM Sportsbook says Alcaraz is the favorite to win the men’s singles final at -250. Djokovic is at +195. If Djokovic can win two sets in a row, his odds will be +360.

“The way he plays,” Djokovic said, “he’s definitely the favorite.”

How to watch Djokovic vs. Alcaraz for men’s tennis gold
The men’s final is scheduled for Sunday at the Philippe Chatrier Stadium, with play set to begin just before 2 p.m. local time (8 a.m. ET). To find the right channel, check NBC’s online schedule.

What is the head-to-head record between Djokovic and Alcaraz?
The two have faced each other six times before, with each winning three of them.

The only time they met at Court Philippe Chatrier was in the semifinals of the French Open in 2023. Djokovic won that match 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1, when Alcaraz suffered cramps throughout the last two sets.

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