Serbia’s Novak Djokovic performs a shot throughout his gold medal match towards Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz within the males’s singles tennis on the Paris Olympics, on August 4, 2024.
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Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on August 4 to assert a maiden Olympic title and change into simply the fifth participant to finish a profession Golden Slam.
The 37-year-old Serb, competing in his fifth Video games, got here by way of 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an enthralling ultimate at Roland Garros so as to add Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs.
Victory allowed him to affix Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and the watching Serena Williams as the one gamers to win all 4 Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold.
He additionally grew to become the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and shattered Alcaraz’s bid so as to add gold to the French Open and Wimbledon titles he has already pocketed this summer season.
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An emotional Djokovic celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on court docket earlier than clambering into the gamers’ field to embrace his spouse and youngsters.
“We nearly performed three hours, the ultimate shot was the one second once I was positive I might win the match,” stated Djokovic, who had misplaced closely to Alcaraz within the Wimbledon ultimate final month.
‘Lastly I did it’
“I put my physique, my household on the road to win gold and at last I did it.”
Alcaraz was distraught and wept as he tried to conduct a TV interview.
“Three hours, a giant battle with robust moments,” stated the 21-year-old after a ultimate during which neither participant dropped serve. “It’s very painful to lose.”
Djokovic carved out a break level within the second recreation of the opener and three extra within the fourth, all saved by the Spaniard.
Then it was the Serb’s flip to display his famed powers of resilience, combating off three break factors within the fifth recreation and one other 5 in a marathon ninth recreation.
In a rollercoaster duel, Alcaraz saved a set level within the twelfth recreation however his veteran opponent dominated the tiebreak to assert the opener after a breathless 93 minutes on Courtroom Philippe Chatrier.
There was no let-up within the second set, scintillating shot-making alongside rousing defence with Alcaraz combating off the ultimate’s 14th break level within the third recreation.
Once more the set was determined by a tie-break and it was Djokovic with historical past on the road once more sweeping by way of to take victory after two hours and 50 minutes.
Lorenzo Musetti defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in three units on Saturday to assert the bronze medal, giving Italy its first males’s tennis medal in 100 years.
Later Sunday, Russian athletes can declare their first gold of the Video games when Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider face the Italian workforce of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini within the girls’s doubles.
Russian opponents are participating within the Olympics as neutrals following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022.
If Andreeva and Shnaider win gold, their achievement is not going to be recognised within the medals desk whereas each the Russian flag and nationwide anthem can be banned from the rostrum ceremony.
Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo, the Spanish eighth seeds, defeated the Czech pair of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-2 within the bronze medal match.
