Solidifying his status as the GOAT of tennis, Novak Djokovic finally completes his illustrious career with an Olympic gold medal. On Sunday, the Serbian defeated Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in a tight match that ended with 7-6(3), 7-6(2).
At 37, Djokovic showed remarkable endurance as the 21-year-old Alcaraz, also in top form, continued to push through, resulting in tie breaks on both sets. The match, held at Court Philippe-Chatrier, went on for nearly three hours. The first set, in particular, lasted a staggering 94 minutes. The game’s result is a reversal of last month’s Wimbledon final, where Djokovic was defeated by the Spaniard.
“It was an incredible battle, incredible fight,” Djokovic said before continuing to praise his young opponent. “He keeps on coming back. He keeps on asking me to play my best tennis.”
Indeed, Alcaraz had nothing to be ashamed of. He came into the Olympics after a sensational year that counted two Grand Slam titles (French Open and Wimbledon) and the distinction as the youngest ever men’s singles finalist since tennis was added to the Games. Still, the loss definitely stung for the rising star, who broke down in tears after the match.
“I feel that I let the Spanish people down,” he said. “I was facing a hungry Novak, he was very impressive today. He didn’t let me have many chances so credit to him and he deserves victory.”
Djokovic, too, was overcome with emotions. Paris is quite possibly his last Olympics and he finally clinched the last missing piece from his all-time great career. To date, the no. 2 player has won 24 Grand Slam titles, 7 ATP Finals, 1 Davis Cup, and 428 weeks at No. 1, the longest ever.
Having conquered every single major achievement in tennis, Djokovic is officially in the rarified air of Golden Grand Slam winners – becoming only the fifth player in history to do so after Steffi Graff, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams. Certified legend!
Watch the video from the decoration ceremony below.