PARIS —
Novak Djokovic claimed his first Olympic gold medal after beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in a thrilling men’s singles final on Sunday, and the 37-year-old Serbian star added the last significant laurel missing from his glittering trophy collection.
Djokovic’s impressive career already included 24 Grand Slam titles — the most among men — and the most weeks at No. 1 in the rankings in either category. He also had one Olympic medal, won in 2008, but it was a bronze, and he had grown tired of saying that it was not enough.
“I am in shock. I put my soul, my body, my family into winning Olympic gold and I finally did it,” Djokovic said, sobbing. “This is for my country, I played for Serbia. And this is very special.”
Until beating bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the semifinals on Friday, Djokovic was 0-3 in that round at the summer tournaments. He lost to the eventual gold medalist each time: Rafael Nadal in Beijing 2008, Andy Murray in London 2012 and Alexander Zverev in Tokyo three years ago.
“It was my fifth Olympics and my fourth semi-final. This time I couldn’t fail and I had to secure the medal,” said Djokovic.
Djokovic is now the oldest man to win singles gold in tennis since 1908, and prevented 21-year-old Spaniard Alcaraz from becoming the youngest.
When gold was his, thanks to a final forehand winner, Djokovic turned to his team in the stands, sitting in front of his wife and two children, and dropped his racket as he knelt on the clay. He cried and covered his face, then stood up and waved a flag of his country.
“It was an incredible fight. When the last point came in, that was the only moment I saw the match won,” Djokovic said.
The final, which lasted 2 hours and 50 minutes despite being decided in just two sets, was a rematch of the Wimbledon title match three weeks ago that Alcaraz won.
The match featured long rallies, filled with excellent baseline strokes, virtuoso drop shots (Alcaraz’s tended to be more successful, sometimes so good that Djokovic refused to even chase them) and tremendous defense, sliding and stretching at both ends. They served so well that neither managed to break even once: Djokovic saved eight break points, Alcaraz six.
Most notable, perhaps, was the sharpness with which both sides played, despite the opponent’s talent and the pressure of the occasion. Unforced errors were rare.
Alcaraz cried after winning gold: “I wanted gold and losing is never pleasant, but I leave with my head held high. I fought until the last ball. I gave it my all,” he said.
“Djokovic wanted to win gold even more than I did and he deserved to win. My tears were because I thought I couldn’t achieve the goal of all the Spaniards, including mine.”
Those in the stands became part of the spectacle, repeatedly breaking into choruses as chair umpire Damien Dumusois occasionally reminded people to remain silent during the action.
Both played to the crowd. When Alcaraz ran to reach a drop shot and deposit it over the net for a winner, he took in the raucous reaction by pointing to his ear with his right index finger. When Djokovic hit a crosscourt forehand winner to cap a 10-stroke point and lead 3-2 in the second tiebreak, he waved both arms above his head to encourage the crowd already on its feet, screaming.
The first set alone lasted more than an hour and a half, packed with epic shots and plays. One lasted 18 points spread over more than a dozen enthralling minutes, including five break chances for Alcaraz, before Djokovic managed to hold on to a 5-4 lead.
In the tie-break, Djokovic was superior at the decisive moment, as is often the case, taking the last four points.
At 3-3, Alcaraz delivered a serve to the body, but Djokovic slid just enough to his left to hit a crosscourt forehand return winner. After two errors from Alcaraz, Djokovic volleyed and turned to face his family with his fist raised.
