Novak Djokovic, on Sunday, reached a new milestone in his career after beating Carlos Alcaraz in three sets to win gold at the men’s singles final match at the Olympics. The Serbian has gone years with the dream of winning at the Olympics, as the gold medal remained the only thing left for him to achieve. With the victory, Djokovic has now achieved a career golden slam and has, to paraphrase his words, completed all records.
Sunday’s final match was quite similar to what we saw a few weeks ago at the final at Wimbledon, where Alcaraz went home as the champion – except this time, it was Djokovic who claimed the title after a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) win. He now joins the small list of champions, including Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal to have achieved the legendary career golden slam.
Alcaraz found himself in a precarious position, as he was behind 0-40 in the fourth game as Djokovic, relentless at the baseline, intensified the pressure. However, the Spaniard, playing in his first Olympics, put on display an extraordinary level of tennis that had fans on the edge of their seats.
Djokovic, though visibly on the ropes, remained composed and managed to fend off the relentless attacks from his younger opponent. As the match progressed past the one-hour mark, Alcaraz saved a crucial set point, but Djokovic’s experience shone through in the tie-break, where he clinched the last four points decisively.
As they entered the tie-break, Djokovic recognized that a final push was essential to secure the coveted gold medal. Two blistering forehand winners gave him an early lead, one that Alcaraz could not recover from, sealing Djokovic’s triumph in, undoubtedly, one of the memorable matches of his career.
Speaking after the match, Djokovic described how he felt with the new achievement and what it truly meant to him.: “I don’t know. I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling right now. Feeling different emotions. Too proud. Too happy. Thrilled with the possibility to win a gold for the first time in my career for my country. Arguably the biggest success I had.
He was then asked by a reporter: “If this was the missing piece of the puzzle, is your puzzle complete now?” To which he replied: “Yes, it is. It is. I’m telling myself always that I am enough. Because I can be very self-critical. I don’t know. That’s one of the biggest internal battles I keep on fighting with myself.
Djokovic continued, “That I feel like I haven’t done enough or been enough in my life on and off the court. So it’s a big lesson for me. I’m super grateful for the blessing to win a historic gold medal for my country. To complete the golden slam. To complete all the records.”
