Paris: Novak Djokovic declared his Olympic singles gold medal victory over Carlos Alcaraz as the most significant achievement of his illustrious career on Sunday. The 37-year-old Serbian tennis icon finally clinched the gold medal at his fifth attempt, triumphing 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in a thrilling final. This victory not only ended an eight-month trophy drought but also completed his career Golden Slam, having not dropped a set throughout the tournament at Roland Garros.
Djokovic, now the oldest man to win the Olympic singles title since tennis was reintroduced to the Games in 1988, achieved this remarkable feat just 21 days after suffering a defeat by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final and two months post knee surgery.
Reflecting on his journey, Djokovic shared with reporters, “I won the bronze in my first Olympic Games (2008) and ever since then failed to win the medal and played three out of four Olympic Games in semi-finals and couldn’t overcome that obstacle.” He added, “And then now at age 37, with a 21-year-old that is probably the best player in the world right now, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back and playing incredible tennis. When I take everything into consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion delivered a performance of the year, showcasing a level of play that had been absent for much of the season, to outlast Alcaraz. The match, spanning nearly three hours, ended with Djokovic’s forehand winner. Overcome with emotion, Djokovic shed tears on the court before embracing his family, including wife Jelena and son Stefan, and his support team.
“Until today I thought that carrying the Serbian flag at the 2012 opening ceremony in London is the best feeling that an athlete could have,” Djokovic said. “This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped that I could experience and that I could feel.”
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While Djokovic has not ruled out participating in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, he acknowledged that the realization of Paris being his last chance at gold fueled his motivation. “I was ready for this tournament and I didn’t drop a set the entire tournament,” Djokovic noted. “I knew in the opening two rounds the way I was playing that this is my chance. If it’s ever going to be, it’s going to be now. When I qualified for the finals, I felt a big relief because that’s the hurdle I wasn’t able to surpass. I did celebrate like I won the tournament. But of course I wanted gold and I knew that I would have to climb the highest mountain there is at the moment, playing Alcaraz.”
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In a match of extraordinary quality and intensity, Djokovic saved eight break points and described the encounter as one of the highest-level contests he has ever experienced. “I don’t think I’ve ever played, maybe a few times in my life, such a high level for three hours for only two sets,” he said. “Credit to him, congratulations to him for a great tournament, great fighting spirit.”
