Prime News Ghana

Paris 2024: Djokovic beats Alcaraz to win long-awaited Olympic gold

By primenewsghana
Shares
facebook sharing button Share
twitter sharing button Tweet
email sharing button Email
sharethis sharing button Share

Novak Djokovic beat Carlos Alcaraz in thrilling fashion to secure a long-awaited Olympic title and complete the career 'Golden Slam'.

Djokovic, who has won a men's record 24 majors and swept up every title there is in tennis, finally clinched Olympic gold at his fifth Games.

The Serb, 37, put in his best performance of the year to beat French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) in front of a packed crowd in Paris.

He sealed the title with a forehand winner, then turned towards his box - arms outstretched in disbelief - before throwing his racquet to the floor after a draining match which lasted just under three hours.

After hugging Spain's Alcaraz, Djokovic immediately burst into tears and fell to his knees in the middle of the court.

He then unfurled a Serbian flag and clambered into the stands to celebrate with his family and support team.

Djokovic is just the fifth player to win the 'Golden Slam' in singles - all four majors and the Olympic title - after Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.

"It was an incredible fight and I had to play my best tennis," an emotional Djokovic told Eurosport.

"I put my heart, my soul, everything to win gold. I did it for my country first - for Serbia."

Alcaraz, 21, was also in tears after the match, but will leave with a silver medal on his Olympic debut.

Italy's Lorenzo Musetti is the singles bronze medallist, having beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada on Friday.

Djokovic completes tennis with stunning win

Novak Djokovic falls to his knees in celebration

Novak Djokovic was swept aside by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final but turned the tables at Roland Garros

This moment will mean as much to Djokovic, if not more, than all the Grand Slams, Masters 1,000 titles and ATP tournaments he has won.

He left this same court at Roland Garros two months ago needing knee surgery, which put his Olympic dream at risk, and his reaction after Sunday's win showed what it meant.

His family watched on from the stands, bearing Serbian flags, with daughter Tara carrying a sign that said "Dad is the best".

Djokovic has spoken about seeing the Olympics as the pinnacle of sport, and the emotions of representing his country have affected him in his past four Games.

He won singles bronze in Beijing in 2008, finished fourth at London 2012, suffered an emotional early loss in Rio in 2016 and lost the bronze-medal match in Tokyo three years ago.

However, Djokovic did not drop a set in Paris and was focused from the outset, determined to get his hands on the one prize that had eluded him for so long.

The final match itself was a test of his determination - he was on the back foot in the first set but did not give in, saving all eight break points he faced and taking advantage as Alcaraz faltered in both tie-breaks.

 

BBC