Novak Djokovic clinched his profession Golden Slam with a shocking victory over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz within the Olympic males’s singles last at Roland Garros on Sunday.
At 37, Djokovic lastly secured the elusive title that had escaped him in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, triumphing 7-6(3), 7-6(2) earlier than a rapturous Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.
The high seed delivered a masterful efficiency to outlast the 21-year-old Alcaraz, turning into simply the fifth participant to win all 4 Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold.
“It was an incredible fight and I had to play my best tennis,” an emotional Djokovic stated on the courtroom as flag-waving Serbian followers sang his identify. “I put my heart, my soul, everything into winning gold. I did it for my country first, for Serbia.”
In a raucous environment, with football-style chants shattering the calm of the adjoining Bois de Boulogne, neither participant took a backward step in a ferocious contest.
The first set alone lasted one hour and 33 minutes as the 2 wrestled for management in a collection of spellbinding video games, together with one at 4-4 through which Djokovic repelled 5 break factors.
Alcaraz blinked first within the tiebreak, permitting Djokovic to maneuver forward. When one other tiebreak was required to resolve the second set, Djokovic discovered inspiration as soon as extra, transferring 6-2 in entrance and sealing victory with a shocking forehand winner.
Djokovic roared to the sky and, after consoling a crestfallen Alcaraz on the web, fell to his knees and sobbed into the Parisian clay within the middle of the courtroom earlier than climbing into the group, the place he was swamped by his household, mates and crew.
While Djokovic grew to become the oldest Olympic singles champion since tennis returned to the Games in 1988, the 21-year-old Alcaraz seemed inconsolable after failing so as to add the gold medal to this yr’s French Open and Wimbledon crowns.
“I think I had a really great tournament, I think I played a really great match,” the four-time Grand Slam champion stated. “Obviously, in front of me, I had a really hungry Novak.”
Djokovic had misplaced thrice in Olympic singles semifinals with a solitary bronze medal to indicate from 4 earlier Games.
He knew Paris was his final life like likelihood to fill the remaining area in a bulging trophy cupboard containing 24 Grand Slam titles.
And how he earned it – overturning a crushing loss to Alcaraz three weeks in the past within the Wimbledon last to grow to be the primary man to win the Olympic singles title with out dropping a set.
Incredible struggle
Djokovic joins an elite group together with Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, the latter watching from the entrance row, within the Golden Slam membership. Many will say this settled the G.O.A.T. argument as soon as and for all.
It takes one thing fairly particular to upstage the lads’s 100-meter last later on the Stade de France, however this practically three-hour red-dirt duel arguably got here shut.
The opening 4 video games spanned 30 mesmerizing minutes, each rally a battle of talent and can. Alcaraz saved three break factors within the fourth recreation and seemed menacing as he threw every thing in his arsenal at Djokovic because the Serb served at 4-4.
Several instances, Djokovic may solely smile on the athleticism of his opponent, who piled on the stress to earn 5 break factors, and someway, Djokovic survived.
Alcaraz saved a set level at 5-6, however the Spaniard’s stage dipped within the tiebreak, and Djokovic pounced to seize the lead. Sensing his second, Djokovic’s depth went even greater deep within the second set, however Alcaraz held on.
Djokovic was relentless, and an outrageous forehand winner at 2-2 within the breaker snapped Alcaraz’s resistance. The finish got here shortly as Djokovic claimed the 99th and maybe most useful title of his glittering profession.
A memorable week ended with Italy’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini beating Russian impartial gamers Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider 2-6, 6-1 (10-7) to win the ladies’s gold, including to compatriot Lorenzo Musetti’s males’s singles bronze.
Source: www.dailysabah.com