04 August 2024 , 19:02
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Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz met in the final of the men’s singles at the Olympic Games in a repeat of the last two Wimbledon men’s singles finals, with plenty at stake
Novak Djokovic claimed the one accolade missing from his glittering career by beating Carlos Alcaraz to win Olympic gold.
Djokovic holds the men’s record for grand slam victories with 24 in total. He has won each of the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and US Open at least three times, but Olympic glory had eluded him as he headed to Roland Garros for the Paris Olympics
An epic first set went the distance, with Djokovic taking it on a tie-break after more than 90 minutes of play. Both players dug deep to avoid being broken, and that pattern continued well into set number two for what felt like an inevitable second tie-break, where the 37-year-old sealed the deal.
The stakes were high for both men going into the final at Roland Garros. Djokovic knew he could wrap up a career golden slam with victory, while a win for Alcaraz would continue his recent dominance over the Serb, and in the end it was the veteran who came out on top.
Djokovic went into the tournament as top seed, and justified that with some dominant displays. He didn’t drop a single set en route to the final as he overcame Matt Ebden, Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musettin.
Alcaraz, the second seed, was similarly comfortable. None of Hady Habib, Tallon Griekspoor, Roman Safiullin, Tommy Paul nor Felix Auger-Aliassime was able to take a set off the Spaniard, with Auger-Aliassime blown away 6-1, 6-1 in the semis.
Something had to give in the final, though. Alcaraz was the first of the pair to surrender a set, with Djokovic taking that first tie-break, and the veteran clinched a 7-6, 7-6 victory in a match of the highest quality.
Carlos Alcaraz was put through the wringer by Novak Djokovic ( Image: AFP via Getty Images)
Earlier, Musetti had beaten Auger-Aliassime in the bronze medal match. The Italian won 6-4, 1-6, 6-3, following up his Wimbledon semi-final run with another run to the final four.
It was Italy’s first Olympic medal in tennis since the sport returned to the programme in 1988. "I’ve been eating plain pasta and chicken for three months, basically, so I think eating a pizza is the least I can do tonight!” Musetti said after earning bronze.
In the women’s singles, Zheng Qinwen of China beat Donna Vekic in the final to win gold, while Iga Swiatek won bronze. There were also golds for Australia in the men’s doubles and Czech Republic in the mixed doubles, while the women’s doubles final pits Italy’s third seeds against Mirra Andreeva and Diana Shnaider, who are competing in Paris as individual neutral athletes.