S Poddar
Novak Djokovic finally clinched his long-awaited Olympic gold medal by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in two tight tie-breaks: 7-6, 7-6. While he was dominating almost every other key tournament around the world, it was only the Olympics that had eluded him, holding records both in Grand Slam titles and Masters 1000 events. Still, those frequent off-day moments brought some of the most difficult times of his career. Until now, his never-give-up attitude and striving finally paid off.
It wasn’t until 37 that Djokovic finally took what would be his last Olympic chance, and he played some of the best tennis in his life to take gold without dropping a set. The victory made him the oldest tennis player to capture an Olympic singles gold medal. On this victory, Djokovic said, “This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, hoped, that I could experience and that I could feel.”
It was only two months prior that Djokovic had torn his meniscus at the French Open and undergone surgery. He then produced a great run at Wimbledon but was beaten by Alcaraz. Coming into the final of the Olympics as the underdog, Djokovic came out with a different level of intensity and quality from the very first minute of this match. He served well quite consistently, he made intelligent forays to the net, and there was really good shot selection, particularly in the tiebreaks.
It was in the first of these that Djokovic first took the initiative, with an angled forehand return proving too good. He sealed the 92-minute set with a drop-volley winner. Djokovic continued to put pressure on at the beginning of the second set and fashioned a break point in the opening game. He upped his level again during this tiebreak to complete his success.
An emotional Djokovic collapsed onto the floor, crying with happiness and relief. He then celebrated with his family and his team. Alcaraz spoke about the pride he felt in representing Spain even though he was defeated, thanking the incredible week that he had experienced.
That victory, coming where it did, means a hell of a lot to Djokovic, having come so close at the Olympics time and again, and just how tough this season he has been handed, fighting injury and a title drought. He declared, “When I take everything in consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career.”
