Djokovic wins 4th and 5th tennis singles gold medal. Conquering the Olympics after 4 majors, ‘Golden Career Grand Slam’ ends “I gave my all for gold” in tears.
Novak Djokovic (Serbia) is kneeling on the Philippe Chatrier Court at the Roland Garros stadium and expressing emotion as he raises his fingers toward the sky after winning the gold medal by defeating Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) in the men’s singles final of the tennis at the Paris Olympics on the 5th. Djokovic said, “I thank God for giving me the belief and the opportunity.”
A man who won the most major tennis tournaments, 24 times. He is 37 years old and a father of two, and he cried like a baby.
Novak Djokovic (37, Serbia, world ranking 2nd) won the Olympic gold medal after five attempts. On the 5th, Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz (21, Spain, 3rd) 2-0 (7-6, 7-6) in the final of the men’s singles at the Paris Olympics and won the championship. It was a close match that lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes, which is rare for a match that was decided in two sets.
With this, Djokovic achieved the ‘Golden Career Grand Slam’. In addition to winning all four major tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open), he also won the Olympics. He is the fifth singles player to do so, following Steffi Graf (Germany), Andre Agassi, Serena Williams (both from the US), and Rafael Nadal (Spain). Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in the second round of this Olympics, said to Djokovic, “Congratulations on getting what you wanted and completing the Golden Grand Slam. Well done.”
Djokovic also set a new record for the oldest Olympic tennis men’s singles winner. The previous record was 31, set by Roger Federer (43, retired) when he won the 2012 London tournament. Djokovic said, “This win has surpassed everything I dreamed and imagined. This win is the greatest achievement I have ever had in tennis.”
When his victory was confirmed that day, Djokovic collapsed on the court and burst into tears. He walked to the bench next to the court and sat down, but he buried his face in a towel and cried for a long time. After receiving a Serbian flag from a tournament volunteer, Djokovic went up to the stands where his family was and hugged his wife, son, daughter, and teammates.
In a post-match interview on the court, Djokovic said, “Both sets were close matches that had to end in a tiebreak,” and “I gave my all for the Olympic gold medal. And I finally achieved it at the age of 37.”
Djokovic is the player with the most wins in major tournaments, but he has never won an Olympic gold medal. His best result was a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Games, his first Olympic appearance. He finished fourth in the 2012 London Games and the 2021 Tokyo Games. After achieving a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open in June 2016, he experienced the bitterness of being eliminated in the first round at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August of that year, two months later. Djokovic said, “I’ve reached the semifinals three times in the last four Olympics, but I’ve never made it to the finals. I told myself, ‘I’ll definitely overcome this time,’” and “I wasn’t as nervous as I used to be today. I think it helped that I had already secured a medal (by making it to the finals).” He also said, “I sometimes doubt myself, but I have stronger faith and belief in myself. I thought I would win a gold medal someday. It was just a matter of when.” Djokovic completed the ‘Golden Grand Slam’ in his third Olympics since achieving a career Grand Slam. When asked whether this gold medal completed his tennis career, Djokovic said, “Yes and no. I still love tennis. I don’t play just to win,” and added, “It’s great to be representing Serbia at the Olympics. I want to play in the Los Angeles Olympics in four years.” Alcaraz, the loser of the final, said, “It was important to focus at the crucial moment. I had to play top-level tennis even in difficult moments. 바카라게임