An emotional Djokovic admitted that he put his heart and soul on the line to claim his maiden Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games. Overcoming a 16-year age gap in the Roland Garros classic, Djokovic outclassed his newest singles rival, Alcaraz, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) to end his long quest for an Olympic gold in Paris yesterday. The 37-year-old suffered Olympic heartbreaks in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro, and Tokyo editions before the top seed set his showdown clash with the Wimbledon champion in the Paris Games tennis final.

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Tale of two sets at Roland Garros

Djokovic was outclassed by Alcaraz in the final at the All-England Club this year. Two months before the Summer Games, Djokovic tore his meniscus at the same venue in the fourth round of the French Open. Wearing a grey sleeve over the right knee throughout his Olympics 2024 campaign, Djokovic was early out of the block to take crucial time away from the Spaniard, who was branded Rafael Nadal 2.0 by the commentator in Paris. The first set of the summit clash at the Paris Games lasted more than 1½ hours. Djokovic saved eight break points to have the bragging rights of the opening set.

Serving superbly, Djokovic remained keen on testing Alcaraz with his net assault. Djokovic banked on his shot selection; Alcaraz enhanced his errors in the tiebreak. A monstrous forehand return winner paved the way for Djokovic to go past Alcaraz at 3-3. Nole’s drop volley winner concluded the marathon set. Despite manufacturing an early break point in the second set, Djokovic was kept in check by Alcaraz as the previous Grand Slam finalist entered another tiebreak. The two top seeds brought out a PlayStation-like feel to the unforgettable Paris Games final. However, it was the 24-time Grand Slam winner, who bagged the last four points in the tiebreaker. The 37-year-old fired an explosive forehand winner down the line to rewrite his name into the record books for the umpteenth time.

GOAT grabs gold in Paris

Djokovic’s best-ever run before the Paris final was a bronze in singles at the Beijing Games in 2008. Swiss marvel Roger Federer was at 12 Grand Slams, and King of Clay Rafael Nadal had cemented his French Open legacy when Djokovic unlocked his first major at the Australian Open back in 2008. Novak’s next Grand Slam arrived in 2011. Fast-forwarding the clock to the present, the Serbian is in a league of his own with 24 Grand Slams. His closest arch-rival is four Grand Slams behind the Serbian ace.

Djokovic overcome with emotion

Djokovic’s hands visibly shook following the epoch-making win over Alcaraz in the Olympics final. ‘Dad is the best’ – Djokovic’s daughter Tara had a sign ready for the top seed as his children were in the box for the Olympic gold medal match. Breaking down into tears, Djokovic shared an emotional hug with his daughter and family after striking gold for Serbia at the Summer Games. Without dropping a set in the men’s singles tournament, Djokovic became the oldest player to win an Olympic singles gold medal.

Golden Slam

Before Sunday, being Serbia’s flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the London Games was the proudest moment of the top seed. Out of the 24 majors, half of his Grand Slam wins have arrived after turning 30. At the age of 37, Djokovic has also completed tennis with his Golden Slam. He is the fifth player after icons Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams to complete a career Golden Slam by achieving all four Grand Slam events and Olympic gold in singles events. The long wait is finally over for G.O.A.T Novak.