Novak Djokovic accomplished the Golden Slam by defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final of men’s tennis at the Olympics. In doing so, Djokovic joined only four others who had reached the feat. Alcaraz might get there, but it will be another four years if he does.

The surprising part of Djokovic’s victory might be that in the most recent meeting of the Serb and the Spaniard, Alcaraz dominated. That was in the final of Wimbledon when the Spaniard absolutely destroyed the Serb. Tennis fans know that is not all reality, however, as we saw Alcaraz defeat Djokovic at 2023 Wimbledon only to be beaten by the Serb weeks later in Cincinnati.

The ascending player is Alcaraz. Djokovic is much older and has fewer years of great tennis in front of him. That does not mean that the current state of tennis as being healthy is disabused. There could be another year or two of Alcaraz versus Djokovic to drive the spot forward.

When the match ended at the Paris Olympics, though, and the two great players met at the court, the Serb did not hold back in what he told the young Spaniard. Djokovic knows that Alcaraz is the next elite player in tennis history. Jannik Sinner is No. 1 and capable of greatness, but he cannot sustain the excellence that Alcaraz is capable of. The 21-year-old Spaniard’s four Grand Slams prove that. That is meant as no offense to the Italian.

According to what Alcaraz told Eurosport, “At the net, (Djokovic) told me that I will win gold one day and I’m going to work for it. My moment will come. He deserves to live this moment with his family. His tears indicate that he was really looking forward to it.”

The Serb has always been classier than many people gave him credit for. He does not accept being injured for losses and will give credit to his opponents instead. After winning such an important event, many people might have just forgotten to meet the other player at the vent. Djokovic not only regained his poise but offered wise words to his younger foe.

If there was any doubt Djokovic was the best player ever prior to the Olympic final, what he did during the match and afterward ended any argument. The Serb is the greatest.

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