Serbian superstar Novak Djokovic, generally considered to be the greatest men’s tennis player of all time, made Olympics history on Sunday.
Djokovic, currently ranked as the No. 2 player in the world, bested world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 7-6, to claim his first-ever Olympic gold medal at Roland Garros in the 2024 Paris games. The 24-time Grand Slam title winner now becomes the oldest player to claim Olympic gold in men’s singles in history, at age 37. He was playing what would have been the youngest men’s singles title winner in Olympic history — Alcaraz is just 21.
The win also marks Djokovic’s first tournament title of the year, as he had to undergo surgery on a right knee medial meniscus tear suffered the last time he was at Roland Garros, the 2024 French Open.
Neither player was able to convert a single break point. The win was ultimately decided by a handful of points in tiebreak situations.
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Djokovic is one of only four players, male or female, in the history of tennis to join the so-called “Golden Slam Club” — defined as winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and an Olympic gold singles medal. He joins German star Steffi Graf, Graf’s eventual husband Andre Agassi, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, and American Serena Williams in cementing the achievement.
Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold in the 1988 Seoul Olympics. The Las Vegas-born Agassi, like Graf a former world No. 1, claimed eight Grand Slam championships, and won the gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
Nadal is a more recent world No. 1 and the only still-active player in this group, along with Djokovic. The “King of Clay” has won the second-most men’s Grand Slam titles in history behind only Djokovic, with 22. He earned his gold medal in the 2008 Beijing games, where Djokovic had claimed his previous best finish — a bronze medal. Williams, also another longtime world No. 1 and the winner of 23 women’s Grand Slam tournaments, won her Olympic gold medal at the 2012 games in London.
Roger Federer, the third-winningest men’s Grand Slam singles champion with 20 such titles, did win an Olympic gold medal, too — albeit in men’s doubles with Swiss countryman Stanislas Wawrinka at the 2008 Games.
It took Djokovic five Olympics to sew up his first men’s singles title in the tournament. This may have been Djokovic’s last, best shot at claiming gold. He would be 41 when the 2028 Olympics roll around in Los Angeles.
“I’m overwhelmed with everything that I’m feeling right now,” Djokovic told NBC reporter Britney Eurton. “Millions of different emotions of course, positive. Too proud, too happy, thrilled with the possibility to fight for a gold and to win a gold for the first time in my career for my country. Arguably the biggest success I ever had. Of course I won everything there is to win probably in my individual career, but winning [the] Davis Cup and particularly [the gold] medal at [the] Olympic games for Serbia at age 37 is unprecedented.”
“I’m super grateful for the blessing to win a historic gold medal for my country, to complete the ‘Golden Slam,’ to complete all the records,” Djokovic added.
Djokovic still has an opportunity to win his first Grand Slam title of the ATP season. The U.S. Open begins play in New York later this month. Should Djokovic fail to win there, it would mark his first year without a major title since a similarly injury-riddled 2017 season.
Alcaraz won both this year’s French Open and Wimbledon. At the latter tournament, he beat Djokovic in straight sets. He is the youngest player in men’s tennis history to win four Grand Slams before the age of 22.
Read More: Carlos Alcaraz Makes Tennis History After Beating Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon Final
Djokovic now leads his overall individual head-to-head record with Alcaraz, 4-3. Djokovic has the edge on Alcaraz on both clay courts, which he leads 2-1, and hard courts, which he leads 2-0.
“It is painful to lose the way that I lost this match. I had my opportunities,” Alcaraz conceded in his own post-match interview with Eurton. “I couldn’t take it. Novak is playing great. He deserved this position. In the difficult moments, [he] increases his level… I’m very disappointed, but honestly I’m going to leave the court with my head very high. I gave everything that I had. Fighting for Spain, it was everything for me, so I’m proud [of] the way that I played today.”
