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Novak Djokovic winning his first Olympic gold medal on Sunday was a twofold surprise. First, he was not a shoo-in to win, despite being the GOAT of men’s singles tennis. The 37-year-old, who has spent much of the year dealing with knee issues, was facing Carlos Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spanish phenom who beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon finals just last month.

The second surprise was his intensely emotional reaction to winning. When he scored the final point, he let out a mighty yell, raising his arms to the sky and dropping his racket. That’s par for the course for Djokovic. But it was after he went to greet Alcaraz at the net that his emotions began to set in. He fell to his knees on the red clay and then rested on his elbows, his head buried in his hands and his chest heaving with emotion.

After a few moments he rocked back on his knees and raised his hands to the sky. Sobbing, he made the sign of the cross. Djokovic was then led up into the stands, where he immediately grabbed his young daughter as his wife, son and team encircled him in an enormous hug. He had finally accomplished his dream.

At this point, even the most casual tennis fans have seen Djokovic win a tournament. He collapses on the ground, he jumps and shouts, he hugs his family and his team. It’s not rote, but it is routine. He’s won every Grand Slam multiple times. He owns the record for most men’s Grand Slam wins in tennis history, and is tied with Margaret Court for the all-time record (24).

That’s why his response was so unexpected. After winning the bronze in 2008 at the age of 21, then finishing fourth in 2012 and 2021, he really wanted to win gold. And it felt like the first time in a long while that he was willing to let the world see part of him that isn’t perfect and composed. He wanted something, failed, had to fight for it, and finally came out on top. That’s one of the most human stories there is.

Djokovic’s place in tennis history, and all that he’s accomplished, is what makes his response so resonant and so touching. The Olympics don’t matter to tennis (neither the WTA or the ATP award ranking points for the Games), but the Olympics matter to him. It wasn’t just another notch in his Grand Slam belt. He wanted to win the gold medal for himself and Serbia.

He almost lost it a few times. There were moments you could almost feel that desperate recklessness hiding just underneath the surface, ready to shove him off balance. He yelled at his box, accusing them of staying quiet and failing to help him when he needed it. He looked at Alcaraz in bewilderment, shaking his head every time he turned one of Djokovic’s winners into a winner of his own.

But Djokovic never broke. He never panicked. He never gave up. Faced with a 21-year-old at the very beginning of what has already been an exciting and accomplished career, the 37-year-old drew on every lesson he’d ever learned in tennis, every bit of experience he’d gained, every ounce of stamina he could muster. Beating Alcaraz wasn’t just about the tennis on the court. It was about his mind. Which player could better withstand the pressure?

On Sunday, it was Djokovic. The crowd was slightly tilted toward Alcaraz, but it was clear they wanted to be entertained by great tennis more than anything else. Djokovic hasn’t always gotten full-throated support at Roland Garros, but the crowd was 100% behind him when the last point was scored. They roared in appreciation and celebration as the greatest men’s tennis player of all time finally fulfilled his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.

At that moment, there was no tomorrow. No thoughts of his next tournament, or the US Open, or his knee injury, or even Carlos Alcaraz. There was just Djokovic, crumpled on the red clay, doing what thousands of Olympians across the world have done before him: weeping with joy, shouting with excitement, screaming with pride, desperate to embrace the people who helped him every single day on his journey.

There are many Djokovic moments that will live on in memory. But this, his late-career Olympic gold medal, will be a standout in 10, 20, 30 years. It represents so much about the spirit of tennis and the true nature of dedication and commitment. But it also represents so much about Djokovic: For a man who has always been dedicated to being the outlier, the exception, the different one, his most touching moment came when he simply let his true emotions shine through and let them carry him away.