In the pantheon of athletic accomplishments, Olympic gold stands unrivalled. No accolade can match the luminous allure of triumph on the grand stage and who better than Novak Djokovic to tell after his astonishing victory against Carlos Alcaraz with a score of 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) at the Paris 2024 Olympic. The Tennis legend had everything in his cabinet except the Olympic medal coming into Paris 2024
A win like this gave the 37-year-old the sense of completion one can imagine when one has every win of their career. The Serbian legend just lost to Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon a few weeks ago in a heartbreaking loss, but he avenged himself at Paris 2024. It appears he announced the result untold times beforehand and came through for the fans who cheered their hearts out.
Still reeling from the news, the current world number one slumped over with his head on the ground. The wait for this moment felt like a centennial long as the victory came with the tag of the oldest to bag the Olympic gold. The bronze medal he won in 2008 wasn’t enough for him, but it seems he won’t care after today. 
Novak after the most crucial win at a press conference, said:
“I’m just over the moon. Honestly, everything that I felt in that moment when I won really surpassed everything I thought or hoped that it [was] going to be,” Djokovic told a room full of reporters on Sunday night, with the gold medal still around his neck and the Serbian flag wrapped around his shoulders. “I thought carrying the flag at the [2012 Olympic] opening ceremony was the best feeling ever until I experienced it today. Being on that court with [the] Serbian flag raising and singing [the] Serbian anthem and wearing the gold [medal] around my neck, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport.”
Novak’s Golden Odyssey Concludes in Paris 2024
Entering Paris for his fifth Olympic appearance was not the first time he came dreaming of gold. He chased the dream at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago as well, where he made back-to-back wins in the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon that year hoping to take the ultra-exclusive Gold Slam. Nevertheless, it all collapsed after he lost in the semi-finals.
His failure to win every Slam this year was his first since 2006, and it could be categorized as a hard fall. But things turned around for him at the Paris 2024 Olympics, as he became the only tennis player apart from Serena Williams to not drop a single set en route to the gold medal. As tough as it may sound, winning every match is one thing, but every set of the same requires different skill sets.
Djokovic said:
“This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped that I could experience and that I could feel.” “The fact that I won the bronze in [my] first Olympic Games and ever since then failed to win the medal and played three out of four Olympic Games in semifinals and couldn’t overcome that obstacle. And then now at age 37, [playing against a] 21-year-old, that is probably the best player in the world right now, [who won] Roland Garros, [won] back-to-back at Wimbledon, and [is] playing incredible tennis.”
“Just when I take everything in consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I’ve ever had in my career.”
Earning the second medal for the Serbian team, he is now the fifth tennis player to achieve a career Golden Slam, joining Graff, Nadal, Williams and Andre Agassi.
Keep an eye on WSG for more updates.
