Novak Djokovic has finally claimed the missing piece to complete his legendary tennis resume. The Serb’s reaction to nabbing his first Olympic gold medal on Sunday showed just how much the moment meant to him.
The 37-year-old bested Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to win a dramatic Olympic men’s singles final at Roland Garros Stadium in Paris, France. The two sets were each decided by a tie-break, which Djokovic dominated both times.
After calmly shaking hands with Alcaraz at the net, Djokovic let out all his emotions and was even moved to tears as he celebrated with his family.
Wow – have never seen Djokovic this emotional … incredible
Sports. pic.twitter.com/rJjdDnsITP
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) August 4, 2024
Heading into the Paris Olympics, a gold medal was the only major prize Djokovic had yet to attain. The 24-time Grand Slam winner called his victory over Alcaraz potentially “the biggest sporting success” he’s ever achieved.
“This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped could experience, and that I could feel,” said Djokovic during his postmatch press conference. “And the fact that I won the Bronze in my first Olympic games and ever since then failed to win a medal … I couldn’t overcome that obstacle.
“When I take everything into consideration, this is probably the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career.”
Novak Djokovic:
“This supersedes everything I imagined and hoped I could experience and feel. The fact I won the Bronze in the first Olympics & ever since failed to win a medal… this is probably the biggest sporting success I’ve had in my career.” 🥇
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) August 4, 2024
After winning Bronze during the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Djokovic had fallen short of the podium in his two subsequent Olympic stints. He finished fourth in both London (2012) and Tokyo (2020).
Only four other tennis players have achieved the tennis feat called the “golden slam,” which refers to winning all four Grand Slam events plus an Olympic gold medal. Djokovic joins a list comprised of tennis luminaries Steffi Graff, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams.
