Novak Djokovic, on Sunday, defeated Carlos Alcaraz to claim Olympic gold and become the fifth tennis player to complete a career Golden Slam.
The 37-year-old Serb, competing in his fifth Games, came through 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an enthralling final at Roland Garros to add Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs.
The victory allowed him to join Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams as the only players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold.
He also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and shattered Alcaraz’s bid to add gold to the French Open and Wimbledon titles he has already pocketed this summer.
An emotional Djokovic celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on court before clambering into the players’ box to embrace his wife and children.
“We almost played three hours, the final shot was the only moment when I was sure I could win the match,” said Djokovic, who lost heavily to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month.
“I put my body, my family on the line to win gold and finally I did it,” he added.
Alcaraz becomes youngest tennis player to reach Olympics final
Alcaraz was distraught and wept as he attempted to conduct a TV interview.
“Three hours, a big battle with tough moments. It’s very painful to lose,” said the 21-year-old after a final in which neither player dropped serve.
Lorenzo Musetti defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets on Saturday to claim the bronze medal, giving Italy its first men’s tennis medal in 100 years.
Later Sunday, Russian athletes can claim their first gold of the Games when Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider face the Italian team of Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the women’s doubles.
Russian competitors are taking part in the Olympics as neutrals following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
If Andreeva and Shnaider win gold, their achievement will not be recognised in the medals table while both the Russian flag and national anthem will be banned from the podium ceremony.
Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo, the Spanish eighth seeds, defeated the Czech pair of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-2 in the bronze medal match.
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