Even the characteristically tough Novak Djokovic couldn’t help but shed a tear at the end of the men’s single final.
The Serbian tennis legend had won all four grand slam titles and practically every honor there is in the sport, but the Olympic gold medal was escaping him. He had tried five times to win the gold, failing each time.
That finally changed Sunday.
At the Roland Garros stadium where he had injured his knee only months earlier, and across the net from the face of tennis’ new guard — 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz — who had defeated him at Wimbledon this summer, the 37-year-old veteran finally struck gold.
Alcaraz did not make it easy for Djokovic, however. The two sets played had to go into a tiebreaker, which was neck and neck the entire way. During the first set, there were 13 unsuccessful break points. The match lasted nearly three hours, an eternity for earning the best two sets out of three.
The crowd was extremely rowdy, with both players visibly frustrated by screams and shouts, and officials repeatedly asking the crowd to be quiet.
But Djokovic came out on top, defeating Alcaraz 7(7)-6(3), 7(7)-6(2).
After the match, Djokovic collapsed on the floor. He was shaking and crying, with a towel over his head. He jumped into the crowd to embrace his family. Finally, he was golden.
“I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling right now,” Djokovic said. “Millions of different emotions, of course.”
Djokovic is the oldest player to win the Olympics singles tournament since Great Britain’s Josiah Ritchie in 1908.
“Of course I’ve won everything there is to win probably in my individual career, but winning the Davis Cup, and particularly a golden medal for an Olympic Games for Serbia at the age of 37, is unprecedented,” he said.
With the medal and his four major grand slam titles, Djokovic becomes only the fifth player in history to complete the “Golden Slam,” joining Steffi Graff, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Serena Williams.
Djokovic was only nine when Andre Agassi became the first to complete the Golden Slam. Since then, Djokovic has won 24 Grand Slam titles in his career — the most of any man in history.
Whether Djokovic will pass the baton to the new guard and the likes of Alcaraz isn’t certain, but this win solidifies him in the company of tennis legends.
“I’m telling myself always that I am enough, because I can be very self critical,” Djokovic said. “That’s probably one of the biggest internal battles that I keep on fighting with myself, that I don’t feel that I’ve done enough — that I have been enough in my life on the court and off the court.”
While Djokovic’s quest for gold is finally complete, Alcaraz’s silver is prescient of what is to come for tennis’ next superstar.
The 21-year-old is the youngest man to win a medal in the Olympics singles tournament since Djokovic, who won bronze in 2008.
“I am a little bit disappointed but I’m going to leave the court with my head high,” Alcaraz said. “I gave everything that I had. Fighting for Spain was everything for me. I’m proud of the way I played today.”
Alcaraz said losing how he did was “painful,” but that Djokovic played “great” and “deserved this.”
“In the difficult moments, he increased his level,” Alcaraz said. “He was unbelievable.”
On the rightmost side of the podium, Italian Lorenzo Musetti earned bronze, Italy’s first medal in tennis since the 1924 Paris Olympics — and the country’s second-ever medal for tennis.
For Djokovic, this marks the first tournament he has won in 2024 — and a rematch of Wimbledon when he lost the slam to Alcaraz.
“It’s a big lesson for me,” he said. “I’m super grateful for the blessing to win a historic gold medal for my country to complete the Golden Slam and to complete all the records.”
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