Novak Djokovic won first gold medal as he defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) at Rollad Garros.
The 37-year-old clinched his final outstanding significant title during his remarkable career, as he won only Serbia’s second medal of the Games so far.
“Bringing the gold medal to , this is maybe the greatest sports achievement in my life,” Djokovic told Serbian national television after the victory.
Speaking to Eurosport, he added: “It was an incredible fight and I had to play my best tennis. It was fair that the two sets finished in tiebreaks. I put my heart, my soul, everything to win gold.”
A long wait for Olympic gold
After playing in his first Olympic tennis competition in 2008, when he claimed a bronze medal in Beijing, Djokovic had failed to make it past the quarterfinals in the three subsequent Olympics.
He faced a stern test against Spaniard Alcaraz on Sunday, who he had lost to in straight sets just three weeks prior in the Wimbledon final.
Without a title in 2024, Djokovic came out on top in a tightly-contested final that saw neither player’s serve broken all match.
The final lasted just under three hours, with remarkable shot-making displays from both players, but Djokovic ultimately held his nerve in both tie breaks.
Veteran Djokovic also became the oldest man to win singles gold in tennis since 1908.
He joins Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf as just the fifth player to complete the so-called “Golden Slam” of all four grand slam titles, plus Olympic singles gold.
km/msh (Reuters, dpa)
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