Novak Djokovic Secures Olympic Gold with Win over Alcaraz
Locker Room
August 4, 2024
Novak Djokovic cried torrents of tears after finally winning the one prize that had always got away.
Olympic gold secured for Serbia. Novak so wanted it. And yet it had eluded him through sixteen years of hurt.
Now the golden climax to an incomparable career is Novak’s to cherish. He has nothing left to prove. Anything he achieves from here can be for fun alone.
The last great prize came with the most important win of all for a fiercely patriotic man.
Certainly he had never known relief like it. After beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2), that was the overriding emotion.
These weren’t just tears of joy dripping onto the red dirt. He sank into the Parisian clay and lost control for so long that you wondered what level of pressure he had been feeling to come good for his country.
Novak Djokovic is Olympic champion after taking revenge over Alcaraz for that Wimbledon final defeat.
He simply refused to be beaten. Djokovic fended off one break point after another in a first set that might have left him powerless to fulfil his ambition.
Novak wanted it more than Carlos. And he kept his cool better when it came to the all-important tie-breaks.
Remember, this legendary 37-year-old was playing an Alcaraz in fantastic form. And the Spaniard only seemed to realise what he had allowed to slip through his fingers when he sat back on his chair as the silver medallist.
For Novak Djokovic, there was no room for carelessness. It had been a simple case of now or never.
And the crunching forehand close-out was a fitting way to end decades of frustration.
Novak Djokovic cried on court. He cried some more with his family and team moments later. And then he felt the supreme satisfaction that only Olympic gold can bring.
What a player. What a competitor. There has never been anyone quite like Novak – and there probably never will be.
How fitting that he has now won everything. His story really couldn’t end before he did.
Will Novak Djokovic return for Wimbledon 2025? Who knows. Whatever happens, the Championships will be ready to remind the world that the very best tennis tournament of all takes place on the beautiful grass of London.
You can start planning your trip now. And talk to us about tickets for Wimbledon 2025. Like Novak Djokovic, we always come good and show why we are the best in our field..