Serbia’s Novak Djokovic celebrates after a winning a point Sunday during the men’s singles tennis final against Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. Djokovic won in two sets, both decided by tiebreakers. Louise Delmotte/Associated Press
PARIS — For all of his Grand Slam championships and other titles, for all of his time at No. 1, Novak Djokovic really, really wanted an Olympic gold medal for Serbia – the only significant accomplishment missing from his glittering resume.
He finally got one at age 37. Doesn’t matter a bit how long it took. Djokovic beat Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling and evenly matched men’s tennis singles final at the 2024 Games on Sunday.
“I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family – my everything – on the line to win Olympic gold,” Djokovic said. “Incredible battle. Incredible fight.”
His impressive career already featured a men’s-record 24 Grand Slam trophies and the most weeks spent atop in the rankings by any man or woman. It also already contained a Summer Olympics medal, from 2008, but it was a bronze – and he made it clear that simply wasn’t sufficient.
Until he got past bronze medalist Lorenzo Musetti of Italy in the semifinals Friday, Djokovic was 0-3 in that round at the Games. He lost to the eventual gold winner each time: Rafael Nadal at Beijing in 2008, Andy Murray at London in 2012, and Alexander Zverev in Tokyo three years ago.
Before facing Musetti, Djokovic said, “I was like, ‘OK, let’s get through this one.’ That’s why today, before the match, I did not feel as nervous as I would normally feel, because I had secured a medal.”
In Paris, wearing a gray sleeve over the right knee that required surgery for a torn meniscus two months ago, Djokovic faced Nadal in the second round and eliminated his longtime rival in straight sets. Now Djokovic is the oldest man to win the singles gold in his sport since 1908, and he prevented Alcaraz, who is 21, from becoming the youngest.
“In the tough moments, he gave it an extra push,” silver medalist Alcaraz said through his own tears. “It hurts to lose like this.”
The final, which lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes despite being decided in only two sets, was a rematch of the Wimbledon title match three weeks ago that Alcaraz won to follow up his French Open title in June.
Alcaraz also defeated Djokovic in last year’s Wimbledon final, but Djokovic won when they met in the semifinals of the 2023 French Open, the annual clay-court tournament held at Roland Garros, the site used for tennis during these Olympics.
GYMNASTICS: Kaylia Nemour of Algeria delivered the country’s first Olympic gold medal in gymnastics, putting together a thrilling routine in the uneven bars final to edge Qiu Qiyuan of China.
Sunisa Lee of the U.S. picked up her third medal in Paris and sixth of her Olympic career by grabbing bronze, exactly where she finished in Tokyo three years ago.
CYCLING: Kristen Faulkner, a former rower at Harvard who only made the Olympic team as a replacement, was a surprise winner in the women’s road race, becoming the first American rider in 40 years to win a medal in the event.
She timed her attack to perfection against vastly more experienced riders. Among them was Dutch rider Marianne Vos, one of the greatest female cyclists of all time.
“It’s a dream come true,” Faulkner said. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I don’t know how to describe it.”
Faulkner finished the 98-mile race 58 seconds clear of Vos, Lotte Kopecky of Belgium and Blanka Vas of Hungary, who were separated by a photo finish, with Vos taking silver and Kopecky getting the bronze.
ARCHERY: Brady Ellison of the U.S. was edged by South Korea’s Kim Woo-jin in a shoot-off as he settled for another silver medal in the men’s individual final.
Ellison, competing in his fifth Olympics, and Kim Woo-jin battled to a draw through four sets.
Both scored 10 points on their single arrow in the shoot-off, but Kim’s was closer to the center, giving him his third gold medal of the Paris Games.
Ellison claimed his second medal of the Games, following a bronze he won with Casey Kaufhold in the mixed team event on Friday. He extended his U.S. career record to five Olympic medals; three silvers and two bronzes.
3×3 BASKETBALL: The U.S. men’s team was eliminated after a 21-6 loss to the Netherlands, finishing 2-5 in pool play while playing its last five games without star Jimmer Fredette.
Fredette was brought in to boost the team after it failed to qualify for the Tokyo Games, and his play helped the U.S. enter these Olympics as the No. 2 seed. But he sustained a lower extremity injury in the team’s second game and didn’t play again.
TRIATHLON: Belgium’s Olympic committee announced that it would withdraw its team from the mixed relay triathlon after one of its competitors who swam in the Seine River last week fell ill.
Claire Michel, who competed in the women’s triathlon Wednesday, “is unfortunately ill and will have to withdraw from the competition,” the Belgian Olympic and Interfederal Committee said in a statement.
Paris 2024 organizers had no immediate statement.
The mixed relay triathlon is scheduled to take place Monday. Belgium’s statement did not elaborate on Michel’s illness, but it comes after concerns over the river’s water quality.
Swiss officials said Saturday that triathlete Adrien Briffod, who also raced Wednesday, fell ill with a stomach infection. But they said it was “impossible to say” whether it was linked to swimming in the Seine, and reported that other delegations told them none of their triathletes had reported stomach problems.
« Previous
Related Stories
