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Three weeks after losing the Wimbledon final, the Serb avenged himself against Carlos Alcaraz with a 7:6-7:6 win, closing the last major gap on his results sheet – something few believed he was capable of until recently.
With the Olympic gold, Novak Djokovic closed his last big gap in Palmares.
The Wimbledon final three weeks ago was a struggle and a humiliation for Novak Djokovic. He more or less lost the first set after just twenty minutes, setting the stage for one of the worst defeats of his career. The Serbian lost 2:6, 2:6, 6:7. Carlos Alcaraz, the youngster from Spain, won his fourth title in a major tournament with an irresistible momentum. However, Djokovic’s 25th Grand Slam title, which would be a record in tennis history, will have to wait until the U.S. Open in late August.
On Sunday, two of the most dominant tennis players currently in existence meet again in a major final. The stakes on the clay courts of Paris are Olympic gold, the only major trophy still missing for Djokovic.
Epic opening
The match started very differently to the one at Wimbledon three weeks ago. Djokovic appeared more present this time. He dominated the first two sets and earned four break points in the Spaniard’s first two service games. Alcaraz fought them all off. However, the veteran’s statement was: “Not again, my son, not again!”
This time the score was 2-2 after 20 minutes, and everything pointed to a long afternoon in Paris. But tennis is also a sport that turns around quickly. The history books are full of unexpected matches that ended differently than they had long been expected.
Three weeks after his defeat at Wimbledon, the Serbian exacted revenge on his Spanish challenger Carlos Alcaraz.
Therefore, in tennis, we recommend to be cautious and make hasty predictions and judgments. In the match after Djokovic missed the break chance, Alcaraz also got the first break chance. He was also unable to use it. Nevertheless, he was involved in the match to some extent. Both players were now on equal footing. In the end, both sets of the match went to tiebreaks, and Djokovic won twice.
The first set lasted 93 minutes, included 108 exchanges and more than one highlight reel. In principle, this was more than just winning a set. If Djokovic, the mental monster, had any moments of doubt, they were erased by this statement.
In front of his wife Jelena and two children Stefan and Tara, an epic duel unfolded between equal players, fighting for every ball. A set of moves that spoke of the strength of the Serbian, of the power of the Spaniard who was half his age. What was decided in the end? Who knows.
In the second-set tiebreak, Alcaraz made one or two so-called simple errors, and Djokovic hit a winner with his characteristic cross-court forehand, which also put Roger Federer in the loser’s corner.
“Dad is the best”
Djokovic finished the match after about three hours, closing the last major gap to the impressive Palmares. He won his second medal in his fifth Olympic Games. The scenes that followed showed how much this victory in Paris meant to him. As soon as the match point came, Djokovic sat down in a chair, covered his head with a towel and burst into tears. His shrug made it clear how close this moment was to him. When he calmed down a little, he walked towards his loved ones in the stands.
The proud Serb has so far been unsuccessful in his pursuit of Olympic gold. In 2008, he won bronze in his Olympic debut in Beijing, defeating American James Blake. At the time, he was a relatively unknown outsider, having won his first title at the Australian Open a few months earlier. In subsequent tournaments in London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Tokyo 2021, Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Alexander Zverev stopped him. Then he lost the bronze medal match twice (2012 and 2021) because an athlete like him, accustomed to success, wants gold and not a consolation medal.
For daughter Tara and the entire Djokovic family, it’s clear: Dad is the best. Most of the world agrees.
At 37, Djokovic is the oldest player to win a singles gold medal since tennis opened to professionals (1968). He can now put himself on the same level as his main rivals Rafael Nadal (2008 Olympic champion) and Andy Murray (2012 and 2016). Roger Federer missed out on a singles gold medal.
Djokovic’s daughter, Tara, who read a book in the stands during the recent Wimbledon final so as not to witness her father’s humiliation, held up a placard that read “Dad is the best” several times during the Paris final. There’s another children’s story: When Australian professional TV pundit Nick Kyrgios asked Djokovic’s son Stefan how great his father was during a match at Wimbledon, the boy replied, “Very good.”
“Pretty good” is quite an understatement. With his Olympic triumph, Djokovic has perhaps removed the last remaining doubts about who is the greatest player in tennis history. Perhaps most surprising is the path Djokovic took to achieve this success. He had not won a title this season until the Olympic tournament. About two months earlier, he injured his meniscus during a Grand Slam tournament at the French Open and had to undergo minor surgery. He played Wimbledon again a few weeks later and reached the final, which many considered a minor miracle.
But no one is talking about those depths anymore. The victory in the Paris Olympic tournament was his 99th title on the professional tour. And his career is not over. His hunger is clearly not yet satisfied. There are still several records that Djokovic wants to break. His next attempt will be in a little over three weeks, when the final Grand Slam of the season, the US Open, begins in New York, and he could become the only Grand Slam champion to hold the record. And for all the goals he has set, he has not run out of them.
Djokovic scored on match point, his fifth attempt since 2008, and finally won the Olympic gold medal.
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