PARIS — Novak Djokovic returned to the Philippe Chatrier court and took a knee.
As fans in the crowd stood, cheered loudly, waved Serbian and Spanish flags and aimed their phones directly at him, Djokovic bowed with his head on the ground, still in disbelief. He eventually looked up and pointed to the sky.
A lifelong dream has come true. 🥹
Novak Djokovic was overcome with emotion after winning his first Olympic gold medal. #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/g7GI6cxmYa
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
About 50 seconds later, he walked over to sit down in a chair, leaned back with a towel over his face, and sobbed.
More than 20 years after winning his first match on the ATP Tour, 16 years after winning his debut major title and in his fifth Olympic appearance, Djokovic has finally achieved the one line on his resume, the title that has eluded him.
Olympic gold medalist.
He needed a tiebreak in both sets to defeat his 21-year-old Spanish rival Carlos Alcaraz, who had beaten him in the Wimbledon final just three weeks ago. Both players produced electric rallies, but after two hours and 50 minutes, Djokovic emerged victorious 7-6(3), 7-6(2).
As he wept with his family in the stands — his body shaking and clutching his children and the Serbian flag — and proudly sang the national anthem on the medal podium, it was clear that this moment meant everything to him. For a man who had achieved virtually everything in sport, including 24 Grand Slam titles, bringing gold to his beloved country was a lifelong dream come true.
“I’m so happy. Honestly, everything I felt when I won was beyond anything I could have ever thought or hoped for,” Djokovic told a room full of reporters Sunday night, his gold medal around his neck and the Serbian flag draped around his shoulders. “I think carrying the flag at the opening ceremony was the best feeling I’ve ever felt until today. Standing on the field with the (Serbian) flag up and the (Serbian) anthem sung and having the gold medal around my neck, I don’t think there’s anything better in professional sports.”
DJOKOVIC has historically He struggled at the Olympics. He won a bronze medal in singles in his debut in 2008, but never made the podium again.
But he had won almost everything else. When he arrived in Tokyo in 2021, he was aiming for the ultimate Golden Slam. He was going to win all four Slams and an Olympic singles gold medal in one year. He won the Australian Open, the French Open, and Wimbledon that year, and reached the semifinals at the Olympics. After taking the first set (6-1) easily against Alexander Zverev, everything fell apart. He won just four games in the last two sets, and his hopes of following Steffi Graf (1988) were dashed. He also lost the bronze medal match, and his calendar Grand Slam dream was crushed in the final at the US Open.
Since then, he has become the player with the most wins in major history, tied Margaret Court’s record for most Slam singles titles, and claimed the title of greatest player of all time. But this season has not gone as planned.
Before arriving in Paris for the Olympics, he had not won a Slam or any title this season, his worst start to the season since 2006. He suffered a right knee injury at the French Open (Roland Garros, the host of the Olympics) and was forced to withdraw before the quarterfinals. He underwent surgery on a torn medial meniscus on June 5, initially putting his place at Wimbledon in jeopardy.
But he returned in time for the tournament, but for the second year in a row his run at the All England Club was ruined by a one-sided straight sets match against Alcaraz. Even hours after the defeat, he still had his Olympic hopes intact.
“Let’s see how it goes physically and mentally,” he said. “I’m going to need everything I have and more to get to the Olympic final, so hopefully I can find the right tennis.”
Get up close and personal with Djokovic vs. Alcaraz 👀#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/xH13p4J8oH
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
Perhaps thanks to the slower pace of the clay courts or the two-out-of-three sets format, Djokovic played some of his best tennis of the season in Paris this week, beating longtime rival and 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the second round, two-time major finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals and eventual bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals.
The nearly full crowd on Sunday was split in loyalty, often cheering for both players at the same time, resulting in the two names being indistinguishably mixed up. Djokovic fought for every point. Alcaraz’s youth, speed and dazzling ability to cover the court were on full display, but Djokovic was patient and methodical, and despite the occasional frustrating moment, he held him back with his signature ball-striking and movement. Serbian fans, many of whom wore fake gold medals, chanted his signature slogan of encouragement, “Idemo,” at crucial moments.
He did not drop a set during his time at Roland Garros and, along with Serena Williams, who was in attendance on Sunday, became the only singles champion to win gold since tennis was reintroduced at the 1988 Olympics. He became Serbia’s second medallist at the 2024 Games and now the fifth tennis player to achieve a career Golden Slam, following Graf, Nadal, Williams and Andre Agassi.
Still excited and reflective, Djokovic said his past struggles at the Olympics and the challenges he has faced this season made Sunday’s victory all the more special.
“This kind of thing replaces everything I imagined, everything I hoped I could experience, everything I hoped I could feel,” Djokovic said. “The fact that I won a bronze medal in (my) first Olympics and then I haven’t won a medal since and I’ve been in the semifinals in three of four Olympics and I haven’t overcome that obstacle. And now, at 37, I’m playing against a (21-year-old) who’s probably the best player in the world right now, who won Roland Garros, won Wimbledon back-to-back, and is playing incredible tennis.
“When I think about it all, this is probably the greatest sporting success of my career.”
With nothing to prove and no elusive titles to chase, Djokovic admitted his career was in some ways complete, but said he had no plans to step down anytime soon. He said he hadn’t ruled out playing in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics while his teammates laughed in the corner of the room, and after jokingly dismissing a question about running for Serbia’s presidency, Djokovic said he was just trying to enjoy what he had worked so hard to achieve.
“I love this sport,” he said. “I don’t do it just to win tournaments. I do it because I really enjoy competing. … To be honest, I don’t know about the future. I just want to be in the present to celebrate. (I) worked very hard to be in this moment, sacrificed a lot. It’s been a long journey with the dream of winning a gold medal. So right now it’s about happiness, joy, celebration.”
