Novak Djokovic finally became an Olympic champion by winning the men’s singles final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, earning his first gold medal in his career. The match between Djokovic and Alcaraz was very close, with neither player able to gain an advantage over the other. Both the first and second sets were decided by tie-breakers, with Djokovic, from Serbia, winning both times. Indian cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar congratulated Djokovic on his victory and pointed out what went wrong for Alcaraz.
Tendulkar, in a message on Twitter, mentioned that Alcaraz’s main issue in the match was his serve, as he failed to hit aces at important moments. This was the area where Djokovic had the advantage.
“Well done, @DjokerNole, on winning the gold medal at #Paris2024.@carlosalcaraz put up a strong fight and obviously has a bright future ahead, but Djokovic had an ace up his sleeve whenever he was serving. That was the key to his success today, in my opinion. Alcaraz has what it takes, but to truly dominate for years on all surfaces, he’ll need to step up his serve!,” he said.
Djokovic said that winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics was the most important thing he’s ever done in sports, even though he has already won all four major tennis tournaments many times.
The 37-year-old Serbian player explained, “This is likely the greatest success I’ve ever had in sports and the most special feeling I’ve experienced.”
He added, “I believed that carrying the flag for my country during the opening ceremony at the 2012 Olympics was the best feeling an athlete could have, but that was before today.”
“At 37 years old, I’m up against a 21-year-old who is likely the top player in the world today, having won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon one after the other. I believe this is the greatest sports achievement I’ve ever accomplished,” he stated.
