For all of his Grand Slam championships and other titles, for all of his time at No. 1, Novak Djokovic really, really wanted an Olympic gold medal for Serbia, the last significant accomplishment missing from his glittering résumé.
He finally got one at age 37, and it doesn’t matter a bit how long it took.
ESPN reports that Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling and evenly matched men’s tennis singles final at the 2024 Games on Sunday.
“I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family — my everything — on the line to win Olympic gold,” Djokovic said. “Incredible battle. Incredible fight.”
His impressive career already featured a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam trophies and the most weeks spent atop in the rankings by any man or woman. It also already contained a Summer Olympics medal, from 2008, but it was a bronze — and he made it clear that simply wasn’t sufficient.
Until he got past bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the semifinals Friday, Djokovic was 0-3 in that round at the Games. He lost to the eventual gold winner each time: Rafael Nadal at Beijing in 2008, Andy Murray at London in 2012, and Alexander Zverev in Tokyo three years ago.
Before facing Musetti, Djokovic said, “I was like, ‘OK, let’s get through this one.’ That’s why today, before the match, I did not feel as nervous as I would normally feel, because I had secured a medal.”
In Paris, wearing a gray sleeve over the right knee that required surgery for a torn meniscus two months ago, Djokovic faced Nadal in the second round and eliminated his longtime rival in straight sets. Now Djokovic is the oldest man to win the singles gold in his sport since 1908 — and he prevented Spain’s Alcaraz, who is 21, from becoming the youngest.
