Novak Djokovic added some last-gasp gold plating to his all-time great career in spectacular style on Sunday afternoon in Paris. By battling past his great rival Carlos Alcaraz with his finest display of the 2024 season, the 37-year-old Serbian completed his emotional final step to the ‘Golden Slam’ of winning all four majors and an Olympic gold medal.
Djokovic overcame the in-form Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) on Court Philippe-Chatrier to become champion, at what is likely to be his final Olympic games, just eight and a half weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery on his right leg. The top seed pulled through a pair of tie-breaks, including in an epic 94-minute first set, to close out victory against his great rival in a match of the highest quality.
“We almost played three hours for two sets. It was an incredible battle, incredible fight,” said Djokovic, who was comprehensively outplayed by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final only last month. “When the last shot went past him, that was the only moment I actually thought I could win the match. I mean I believed that I could win, but to actually win it, because he keeps on coming back. He keeps on asking me to play my best tennis.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock, honestly. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37. I finally did it.”
With his victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic fulfilled a long-held objective of clinching the one significant prize in singles tennis that has eluded him for so long. The record 24-time Grand Slam champion was visibly emotional and tearful after firing a forehand winner past Alcaraz to seal his spot at the top of the podium.
“Everything [about this is special], but most of all it is my country,” said Djokovic. “It’s my pride to play for Serbia. I know Carlos and Rafa [Nadal], they love to play for Spain. Andy [Murray] loved to play for Great Britain. Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. Alex Zverev won in Tokyo for Germany. You saw the reactions of all these guys when they win. It’s something special.”
Djokovic had not won a tour-level title in 2024 prior to arriving in Paris, but after claiming gold in the French capital he has become just the fifth player — after Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams — to complete the ‘Golden Slam’ of winning all four major titles and an Olympic gold medal in singles.
Both Djokovic and his great rival Alcaraz showcased remarkable resilience under pressure as a first set featuring 13 break points (Djokovic 5, Alcaraz 8) somehow reached a tie-break without a break of serve. The highlights included Alcaraz rallying from 0/40 to hold in the fourth game, while Djokovic pulled through a see-saw ninth game, packed with scintillating tennis from both players, having faced five break points.
Djokovic’s final break point of the set doubled as a set point at 6-5, 30/40. Although he could not convert, the Serbian retained his composure to reel off four straight points from 3/3 in the tie-break and move ahead on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In contrast to the opening set, there were few chances on return for both players in the second set. Yet that was not a reflection of any drop in level from two of the world’s top players. Djokovic continued to use variations of pace to keep Alcaraz moving around the court, while the Spaniard, who fended off the only break point of the set in the third game, responded with some trademark moments of shotmaking magic.
Djokovic consistently found a way to force errors from his powerful opponent, however, and also produced his fair share of high-class winners. A rasping, cross-court forehand winner at 2/2 in the second-set tie-break was illustrative of just how dialled in the Serbian was, and he did not blink as he reeled off the next four points to clinch the match.
Alcaraz was aiming to add an Olympic title to his already-stellar summer, during which he won his third and fourth Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively. However, the 21-year-old Spaniard could not forge a breakthrough on return against Djokovic, who saved all eight break points he faced and won 78 per cent (53/68) of points behind his first serve.
“It is painful to lose the way that I lost this match,” said Alcaraz, who was the youngest man to contest a singles gold-medal match since the Olympic Tennis Event returned in 1988. “I had my opportunities… I couldn’t take them. Novak is playing great, he really settled in his position, in the difficult moments he increased his level, he played unbelievable.
“I’m really disappointed but honestly, I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain. It was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today.”
Sunday’s encounter was the second on Court Philippe-Chatrier between the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings Djokovic and No. 3 Alcaraz after Djokovic triumphed in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-finals. The Serbian now leads the pair’s overall Lexus ATP Head2Head series 4-3.
