Novak Djokovic wins the first set against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Paris Olympics | ATP Tour
Paris Olympics
Djokovic wins thrilling opening set against Alcaraz in Paris Olympics final
The Serbian is chasing a gold medal to complete the Career Golden Slam
August 04, 2024
Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Novak Djokovic plays Carlos Alcaraz during the gold medal match at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Written by Andy West
Novak Djokovic is one step away from his first Olympic gold medal after defeating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3) in the semifinals on Sunday afternoon in Paris.
Both Djokovic and his arch-rival Alcaraz showed remarkable resilience under pressure as the set with 13 break points (Djokovic 5, Alcaraz 8) somehow reached the break without a break. Highlights included Alcaraz rallying from 0/40 down to hold in the fourth game, while Djokovic cruised through the ninth game, full of spectacular tennis from both players, having faced five break points.
Djokovic’s last break point doubled as set point at 6-5, 30/40. Despite not being able to convert, the Serbian kept his composure to drop four straight points from 3/3 at halftime and advance after a brutal 94 minutes on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
NOVAK GOES HOME ONE TO OLYMPIC GOLD 🌟@DjokerNole | #Olympics | #Paris2024 | #tennis pic.twitter.com/GNciD17FHY
– ATP Tour (@atptour) August 4, 2024
Djokovic is competing in his first Olympic gold medal match eight and a half weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery in his right leg. She fell to Alcaraz in the final at Wimbledon in her only other tournament since the surgery, but is now on the verge of becoming the fifth player – after Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams – to complete the ‘Golden Slam. ‘ of winning all four major titles and the Olympic gold medal in singles.
Alcaraz aims to add an Olympic title to her already stellar summer, where she won her third and fourth Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively. The 21-year-old Spaniard is the youngest singles gold medalist since the return of the Olympic Tennis Event in 1988, while Djokovic is the oldest.
Sunday’s match is the second on Court Philippe-Chatrier between No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings Djokovic and No. 3 Alcaraz after Djokovic won in the semifinals of 2022 Roland Garros. The Lexus ATP Head2Head series between the two stands at 3-3.
