Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to claim his first Olympic title and become the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam. The 37-year-old Serb, competing in his fifth Games, won 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an enthralling final at Roland Garros, adding Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam titles.
This victory allowed Djokovic to join Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf, and 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, ending Alcaraz’s bid to add gold to his French Open and Wimbledon titles.
An emotional Djokovic celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on court before embracing 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 to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month. “I put my body, my family on the line to win gold, and finally I did it.”
Alcaraz, distraught and in tears, conducted 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.”
The match saw Djokovic carve out break points in the second and fourth games, all saved by Alcaraz. Djokovic then demonstrated his resilience by saving three break points in the fifth game and five more in a marathon ninth game. Alcaraz saved a set point in the 12th game, but Djokovic dominated the tiebreak to claim the first set after 93 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.
The second set continued with scintillating shot-making and rousing defense, with Alcaraz fighting off the final’s 14th break point in the third game. The set was decided by another tiebreak, with Djokovic sweeping through to victory after two hours and 50 minutes.
On Saturday, Lorenzo Musetti defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets to claim the bronze medal, giving Italy its first men’s tennis medal in 100 years.
Later on Sunday, Russian athletes Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider have the chance to claim their first gold of the Games in the women’s doubles. Russian competitors are participating as neutrals due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. If Andreeva and Shnaider win, their achievement will not be recognized in the medals table, and the Russian flag and national anthem will be banned from the podium ceremony.
In the bronze medal match, Spanish eighth seeds Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo defeated the Czech pair of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-2.
