Novak Djokovic completed a Career Golden Slam at the 2024 Paris Olympics by winning every Grand Slam title and an Olympic gold medal. Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday to claim his first Olympic title, becoming the fifth player to achieve this milestone. The 37-year-old Serb, in his fifth Games, triumphed 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an intense final at Roland Garros, adding Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam victories. This win placed him among legends like Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf, and Serena Williams, who have all won the four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold. He also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and thwarted Alcaraz’s quest to add gold to his French Open and Wimbledon titles.
An emotional Djokovic celebrated by waving the Serbian flag on court before joining his family in the players’ box.
“We almost played three hours, and it wasn’t until the final shot that I was sure I could win,” said Djokovic, who had lost to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final the previous month. “I put everything on the line to win gold, and finally, I did it.”
Alcaraz was distraught, tearing up during his TV interview. “It was a three-hour battle with tough moments,” said the 21-year-old, noting that neither player dropped serve. “It’s very painful to lose.”
Djokovic faced break points early but demonstrated resilience, saving eight break points, while Alcaraz saved set points but couldn’t clinch the opener. The second set was equally intense, with Djokovic ultimately dominating the tiebreak to secure victory after two hours and 50 minutes.
On Saturday, Lorenzo Musetti beat Felix Auger-Aliassime to win the bronze medal, marking Italy’s first men’s tennis medal in a century.
Later on Sunday, Russian athletes had the chance for their first gold when Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider faced Italy’s Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini in the women’s doubles final. Russian competitors participated as neutrals due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. If Andreeva and Shnaider won, their achievement wouldn’t be recognized in the medals table, and both the Russian flag and national anthem would be absent from the podium ceremony.
In the bronze medal match, Spanish eighth seeds Cristina Bucsa and Sara Sorribes Tormo defeated the Czech pair of Karolina Muchova and Linda Noskova 6-2, 6-2.
