Novak Djokovic clinched his career Golden Slam with a stunning victory over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the Olympic men’s singles final at Roland Garros on Sunday.
At 37, Djokovic finally secured the elusive title that had escaped him in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, triumphing 7-6(3), 7-6(2) before a rapturous Court Philippe Chatrier crowd.
The top seed delivered a masterful performance to outlast the 21-year-old Alcaraz, becoming just the fifth player to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold.
“It was an incredible fight and I had to play my best tennis,” an emotional Djokovic said on the court as flag-waving Serbian fans sang his name. “I put my heart, my soul, everything into winning gold. I did it for my country first, for Serbia.”
In a raucous atmosphere, with football-style chants shattering the calm of the adjacent Bois de Boulogne, neither player took a backward step in a ferocious contest.
The first set alone lasted one hour and 33 minutes as the two wrestled for control in a series of spellbinding games, including one at 4-4 in which Djokovic repelled five break points.
Alcaraz blinked first in the tiebreak, allowing Djokovic to move ahead. When another tiebreak was required to decide the second set, Djokovic found inspiration once more, moving 6-2 in front and sealing victory with a stunning forehand winner.
Djokovic roared to the sky and, after consoling a crestfallen Alcaraz at the net, fell to his knees and sobbed into the Parisian clay in the center of the court before climbing into the crowd, where he was swamped by his family, friends and team.
While Djokovic became the oldest Olympic singles champion since tennis returned to the Games in 1988, the 21-year-old Alcaraz looked inconsolable after failing to add the gold medal to this year’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 said. “Obviously, in front of me, I had a really hungry Novak.”
Djokovic had lost three times in Olympic singles semifinals with a solitary bronze medal to show from four previous Games.
He knew Paris was his last realistic chance to fill the remaining space in a bulging trophy cabinet containing 24 Grand Slam titles.
And how he earned it – overturning a crushing loss to Alcaraz three weeks ago in the Wimbledon final to become the first man to win the Olympic singles title without dropping a set.
Incredible fight
Djokovic joins an elite group including Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams, the latter watching from the front row, in the Golden Slam club. Many will say this settled the G.O.A.T. argument once and for all.
It takes something pretty special to upstage the men’s 100-meter final later at the Stade de France, but this nearly three-hour red-dirt duel arguably came close.
The opening four games spanned 30 mesmerizing minutes, every rally a battle of skill and will. Alcaraz saved three break points in the fourth game and looked menacing as he threw everything in his arsenal at Djokovic as the Serb served at 4-4.
Several times, Djokovic could only smile at the athleticism of his opponent, who piled on the pressure to earn five break points, and somehow, Djokovic survived.
Alcaraz saved a set point at 5-6, but the Spaniard’s level dipped in the tiebreak, and Djokovic pounced to grab the lead. Sensing his moment, Djokovic’s intensity went even higher deep in the second set, but Alcaraz hung on.
Djokovic was relentless, and an outrageous forehand winner at 2-2 in the breaker snapped Alcaraz’s resistance. The end came quickly as Djokovic claimed the 99th and perhaps most valuable title of his glittering career.
A memorable week ended with Italy’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini beating Russian neutral players Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider 2-6, 6-1 (10-7) to win the women’s gold, adding to compatriot Lorenzo Musetti’s men’s singles bronze.
