Abhijit Deshmukh in Paris
In an unforgettable final, 37-year-old Novak Djokovic, the oldest player in men’s singles history to reach this stage, faced the 21-year-old Carlos Alcaraz. The players had an evenly matched head-to-head record of 3-3 before the gold medal match, and their record on clay was 1-1. Djokovic had defeated Alcaraz the last time they met on clay at the 2023 Roland Garros tournament. In what might be his final Olympic appearance, Djokovic claimed victory over Alcaraz with a score of 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2).
Despite being straight-set win, the match was a gruelling affair, which lasted two hours and 50 minutes. In the fourth game of the first set, Djokovic had three break points, but Alcaraz resiliently held serve. He surprised Djokovic with his tenacity, much to the delight of the Spanish fans, who outnumbered the Serbian supporters. Each time Alcaraz won a rally, he pumped his fist in celebration, drawing loud cheers from the crowd.
The first set went to a tie-break, lasting an intense 93 minutes, with neither player managing to break serve. Djokovic had five break points and Alcaraz had eight, but both held firm until Djokovic eked out a 7-3 win in the tie-break.
The second set had a similar story, as both players held on to their serves. Djokovic had a single break point, but Alcaraz again proved resilient. There was another tie-break, where Djokovic displayed his experience. He hit a stunning forehand crosscourt winner that Alcaraz couldn’t reach, even at full-body stretch, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
Alcaraz lost his momentum, and Djokovic took the tie-break with ease. Leading 6-2 with four match points, Djokovic hit a forehand down the line to secure the gold medal. Overwhelmed by the victory, he dropped his racket, in disbelief at finally winning Olympic gold.
Surprisingly, only two aces were hit in the match, one each by both the players.
Djokovic, who holds the record for 24 men’s Grand Slam singles titles, joined the exclusive club of players who have won all four majors and Olympic gold: Steffi Graf (1988), Andre Agassi (1999), Rafael Nadal (2010), and Serena Williams (2012).