2024-08-06 17:43:41
[PARiS 2024]
Djokovic wins 4th and 5th tennis singles gold medal… Conquering the Olympics after 4 majors
‘Golden Career Grand Slam’ Ends… “I Gave My Everything for Gold” Sobs
The man who won the tennis majors a record 24 times, the 37-year-old father of two, cried like a baby.
Novak Djokovic (37, Serbia, world ranking 2nd) won the Olympic gold medal after five attempts. Djokovic won the men’s singles final of the Paris Olympics tennis on the 5th, defeating Carlos Alcaraz (21, Spain, 3rd) 2-0 (7-6, 7-6) to take the top spot. It was a close match that lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes, which is unusual for a match that was decided in two sets.
With this, Djokovic has achieved the ‘Golden Career Grand Slam’. In addition to winning the four major tournaments (Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, US Open), he has also won the Olympics. As a singles player, he is the fifth to do so, following Steffi Graf (Germany), Andre Agassi, Serena Williams (all USA), and Rafael Nadal (Spain). Nadal, who lost to Djokovic in the second round of this Olympics, said, “Congratulations on getting what you wanted and completing the Golden Grand Slam. Well done.”
Djokovic also set a new record for the oldest Olympic tennis men’s singles champion. The previous record was 31, set by Roger Federer (43, retired) when he won the 2012 London Championships. Djokovic said, “It has surpassed everything I could have dreamed and imagined. This victory is the greatest achievement I have had in tennis.”
On that day, when Djokovic was confirmed as the winner, he collapsed on the court and cried. He walked to the bench next to the court and sat down, buried his face in a towel, and cried for a long time. After receiving a Serbian flag from a tournament volunteer, Djokovic went up to the stands where his family was and hugged his wife, son, daughter, and teammates.
“It was a close match that had to end in a tiebreak in both sets,” Djokovic said in a post-match on-court interview. “I gave it my all to win the Olympic gold medal. And at 37, I finally achieved it.”
Djokovic has won the most major tournaments, but he has never won an Olympic gold medal. His best result was a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008, his first Olympic appearance. He finished fourth in London in 2012 and Tokyo in 2021. After achieving a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open in June 2016, he experienced the bitterness of being eliminated in the first round of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in August of that year, just two months later.
Djokovic said, “I’ve made it to the semifinals three times in the last four Olympics, but I’ve never made it to the finals. I told myself, ‘I’ll definitely overcome this time,’” and “I wasn’t as nervous as I used to be. I think it helped that I already had a medal (by making it to the finals).” He added, “I sometimes doubt myself, but I have stronger faith and belief in myself. I thought I would win the gold medal someday. It was just a matter of when.” Djokovic completed the ‘Golden Grand Slam’ in his third Olympics since achieving the Career Grand Slam.
Asked whether this gold medal completes his tennis career, Djokovic said, “Yes and no. I still love tennis. I don’t play just to win,” adding, “I’m happy to be representing Serbia at the Olympics. I hope to play in Los Angeles in four years.”
“It was all about how focused you were at the crucial moment,” said finalist Alcaraz. “You had to be able to play top-level tennis even in tough moments, and Djokovic did that, and I didn’t.”
Paris = Reporter Im Bo-mi [email protected]
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2024-08-06 17:43:41