Novak Djokovic defeats Carlos Alcaraz to win Olympic tennis gold
Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to claim a maiden Olympic title and become just the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam.
The 37-year-old Serb, competing in his fifth Games, came through 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an enthralling final at Roland Garros to add Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs.
Victory allowed him to join Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and the watching Serena Williams as the only players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold.
He also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and shattered Alcaraz’s bid to add gold to the French Open and Wimbledon titles he has already pocketed this summer.
An emotional Djokovic celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on court before clambering into the players’ box to embrace his wife and children.
“We almost played three hours, the final shot was the only moment when I was sure I could win the match,” said Djokovic, who had lost heavily to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month.
– ‘Finally I did it’ –
“I put my body, my family on the line to win gold and finally I did it.”
Alcaraz was distraught and wept as he attempted to conduct a TV interview.
“Three hours, a big battle with tough moments,” said the 21-year-old after a final in which neither player dropped serve. “It’s very painful to lose.”
Djokovic carved out a break point in the second game of the opener and three more in the fourth, all saved by the Spaniard.
