Djokovic beats Alcaraz to win long-awaited Olympic gold
Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz in thrilling fashion to clinch a long-awaited Olympic title and complete the career ‘Golden Slam’.
Novak Djokovic beats Carlos Alcaraz in thrilling fashion to clinch a long-awaited Olympic title and complete the career ‘Golden Slam’.
Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow have jumped into Nitto ATP Finals qualifying contention after claiming their second title in as many weeks in the final of the Mubadala Citi DC Open Sunday.
After winning in Atlanta last week, the pair defeated Brazilian duo Marcelo Melo and Rafael Matos 7-5, 6-3 in the final in Washington. They became the first all-American champions at the ATP 500 since Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan in 2015.
“Lucky for us it was a little hot and we could kind of bring the heat today,” Lammons said during the trophy ceremony. “Thanks to my partner Jackson. We got some good momentum going the last couple of weeks. We love playing here in the States.”
[ATP APP]The Americans put on a strong display of serving, winning 87 per cent of their first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. They dropped just 10 points on serve and defended both break points against them en route to taking an eighth ATP Tour title as a pair.
After the home triumph, Withrow thanked the Washington fans for their support: “You guys have been amazing all week for us,” he told the stadium crowd. “We feel the energy, we feel like you guys love doubles.”
Rising four places to ninth in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings, the Americans head to the National Bank Open Presented by Rogers in Montreal, where they will face Tomas Martin Etcheverry and Alejandro Tabilo in the opening round.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The long wait is over for Novak Djokovic.
After nearly two decades of consistently winning the biggest titles and breaking some of the most difficult records that tennis has to offer, the Serbian on Sunday finally added an Olympic gold medal to his sizeable collection of honours. Djokovic, who has long spoken of winning Olympic gold for his country as one of his most sought-after goals, was visibly emotional after overcoming Carlos Alcaraz in a gripping encounter in Paris.
“I’m overwhelmed with everything that I’m feeling right now,” said Djokovic in post-match comments to NBC. “Millions of different emotions of course: positive, too proud, too happy. The possibility to fight for a gold and to win a gold for the first time in my career for my country is arguably the biggest success I ever had.
“Of course, I want everything there is to win in my individual career, but winning Davis Cup and particularly the golden medal at an Olympic Games for Serbia at the age of thirty-seven is unprecedented. Just starting my celebration, I can’t wait for what’s coming up in the next forty-eight hours.”
37 years old.
Olympic #GOLD medalist.#Paris2024 | #tennis pic.twitter.com/TefOG3XT2N
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 4, 2024
Long acknowledged as one of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen, Djokovic added an Olympic gold medal to his record 24 major singles titles by overcoming Alcaraz in a pair of tie-breaks. The Serbian is the fifth player to complete the Career Golden Slam by winning all four Grand Slam events and Olympic gold in singles, after Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams.
“Yes, [my] puzzle, it is [complete],” acknowledged Djokovic, who has spent more weeks as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings than any other player (428). “I’m telling myself always that I am enough, because I can be very self-critical. It’s probably one of the biggest internal battles that I keep on fighting with myself, that I don’t feel like I’ve done enough. That I haven’t been enough in my life, on the court and off the court, so it’s a big lesson for me.
“I’m super grateful for the blessing to win a historic gold medal for my country, to complete the Golden Slam, to complete all the records.”
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There was no golden ending for Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Yet despite his disappointment at his defeat to Novak Djokovic in the gold-medal match on Court Philippe-Chatrier, the Olympic flame inside the Spaniard remains well and truly alight.
“I always want to win, that’s for sure, but taking the silver medal, I have to be really proud,” said Alcaraz in post-match comments made to NBC. “I’m building a really great career and I hope it’s going to keep going.
“Honestly, I’m pretty proud to be in this position, I’m pretty proud to bring a medal to Spain. I’m pretty sure that my moment will come, and I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day. So I’m going to wait for that moment and I’m going to work for that moment, but right now I have to enjoy lifting the silver medal, it’s pretty amazing as well.”
Your #Paris2024 Men’s Singles Olympic Medalists 🤩
🥇 @DjokerNole 🇷🇸
🥈 @carlosalcaraz 🇪🇸
🥉 @Lorenzo1Musetti 🇮🇹#Olympics | #tennis pic.twitter.com/4qY4HY5nt2— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 4, 2024
Alcaraz has good reason to feel confident about the future. Sunday’s loss was a rare low moment in what has otherwise been a largely stellar year for the Spaniard. He lifted his third and fourth major titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively, while he also lifted his fifth ATP Masters 1000 crown in Indian Wells in March.
The No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings also knows how close he was to Djokovic in Sunday’s high-level encounter. Alcaraz forced the Serbian to fend off eight break points en route to victory, and he will leave Paris satisfied he gave his all in pursuit of Olympic glory.
‘It is painful to lose the way that I lost this match. I had my opportunities… I couldn’t take them,” said Alcaraz. “Novak is playing great, he really settled in his position, in the difficult moments he increased his level, he played unbelievable. I’m really disappointed but honestly, I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain, it was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today.”
The next few months also promise plenty for Alcaraz, who is currently 38-7 for the season and second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. He is next set to compete at the Cincinnati Open later this month, when he will resume his pursuit of rival and current Live Race leader Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz is bidding to finish the season as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF for the second time.
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Novak Djokovic once again rewrote the record books on Sunday at the Paris Olympics.
The 37-year-old defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a scintillating gold-medal match to claim his first Olympics gold medal. By doing so, the Serbian has now won every ‘Big Title’ up for offer and completed the Career Golden Slam.
Djokovic owns 72 ‘Big Titles’, which are a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals. The Serbian has claimed at least one Big Title in 16 of the past 18 seasons.
No other player has won Olympic singles gold, a major and all nine Masters 1000 events. The Serbian owns the standalone men’s record for championships at Grand Slams (24), Nitto ATP Finals (7) and Masters 1000s (40).
The Olympics have long been Djokovic’s white whale. A bronze medalist in Beijing, the Serbian finished fourth in London and Tokyo. After losing to Alcaraz in straight sets last month in the Wimbledon final, he flipped the script in Paris.
[ATP APP]Djokovic has won one ‘Big Title’ for every 3.1 events played (72/225). The player closest to him in winning rate at these events is Rafael Nadal, who has won one for every 3.5 tournaments played.
The 99-time tour-level titlist will now turn his attention to becoming the third player to eclipse the 100-titles mark, joining Jimmy Connors (109) and Roger Federer (103), according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (20+ Big Titles, Records Since 1990)
| Player | Grand Slams | 1000s | Total^ (Avg) |
| 24/75 | 7/16 | 40/130 | 72/225 (3.1) |
| 22/67 | 0/11 | 36/128 | 59/208 (3.5) |
| 20/81 | 6/17 | 28/138 | 54/240 (4.4) |
| 14/52 | 5/11 | 11/83 | 30/147 (4.9) |
| 8/61 | 1/13 | 17/90 | 27/164 (6.1) |
| 3/61 | 1/8 | 14/120 | 20/191 (9.5) |
^Includes Olympic Games gold medals and tournament participations. Djokovic won Olympic singles gold in 2024, Murray in 2012 and 2016, Nadal in 2008 and Agassi in 1996.
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Serbia’s Novak Djokovic seals his first Olympic title with a 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-2) win over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the men’s singles final at Paris 2024.
Novak Djokovic completed his wish list on Sunday when he finally claimed an Olympic gold medal for the first time with his win against Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the Paris Olympics.
Stars from inside and outside the tennis world quickly congratulated the Serbian. NBA star Luka Doncic, actor Matthew McConaughey, Juan Martin del Potro, Martina Navratilova and plenty more were among those who took to social media after the match ended.
ATPTour.com looks at some of those posts below.
[ATP APP]🐐🐐🐐 @DjokerNole
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) August 4, 2024
GOAT wins GOLD. congratulations @DjokerNole
— Matthew McConaughey (@McConaughey) August 4, 2024
Finalmente lo lograste amigo!!! @DjokerNole
Sos increíble. IIDEMOO! 🥇#GOLD #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/csGvPI69iN— Juan M. del Potro (@delpotrojuan) August 4, 2024
You are impressive @DjokerNole 👑🙌🏼 huge congratulations 🥇 to you and Serbia 🇷🇸 https://t.co/i64fmwmXL7
— Holger Rune (@holgerrune2003) August 4, 2024
Unbelievable effort from @DjokerNole to win the Olympics now- at his age and a knee surgery to boot- truly phenomenal!!! He fully deserves the gold !🥇
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) August 4, 2024
Career Golden Slam !!!
Schatzi, well done .@DjokerNole @Serbia @Olympics— Boris Becker (@TheBorisBecker) August 4, 2024
The willpower. Cant explain the effort I just witnessed from Nole. GOAT. To get one last chance, tell everyone what your priority is, and the deliver against the current best. Emotional stuff. Lucky to see it. Props
— andyroddick (@andyroddick) August 4, 2024
Novak Djokovic has now won everything there is to win in tennis . The debate is over now about who the GOAT is!
— Greg Rusedski (@GregRusedski1) August 4, 2024
Oh wow. Novak @DjokerNole has done it all in our sport! What a legend! Unbelievable! Bravo 👏🏻
Wow wow wow 🥇— victoria azarenka (@vika7) August 4, 2024
holy toledo amazing effort from Djoker @DjokerNole taking out Escape from Alcaraz, for the 🥇 @Olympics tip your cap 🧢 to witnessing true greatness of the highest level legendary 👏 👍💪😎👊
— Brad Gilbert (@bgtennisnation) August 4, 2024
Novak qui peut donc définitivement ramener le jeu chez Micromania demain matin.
Légende 🥇— Gilles SIMON (@GillesSimon84) August 4, 2024
That’s it for me… Novak Djokovic, the undisputed 🐐 of the tennis court. @DjokerNole
— Mardy Fish (@MardyFish) August 4, 2024
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Never underestimate heart of the champion!!!
THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!@DjokerNole 🥇🐐 pic.twitter.com/dzEICMdHPS— Bogdan Bogdanovic (@LeaderOfHorde) August 4, 2024
Novak Djokovic added some last-gasp gold plating to his all-time great career in spectacular style on Sunday afternoon in Paris. By battling past his great rival Carlos Alcaraz with his finest display of the 2024 season, the 37-year-old Serbian completed his emotional final step to the ‘Golden Slam’ of winning all four majors and an Olympic gold medal.
Djokovic overcame the in-form Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) on Court Philippe-Chatrier to become champion, at what is likely to be his final Olympic games, just eight and a half weeks after undergoing meniscus surgery on his right leg. The top seed pulled through a pair of tie-breaks, including in an epic 94-minute first set, to close out victory against his great rival in a match of the highest quality.
“We almost played three hours for two sets. It was an incredible battle, incredible fight,” said Djokovic, who was comprehensively outplayed by Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final only last month. “When the last shot went past him, that was the only moment I actually thought I could win the match. I mean I believed that I could win, but to actually win it, because he keeps on coming back. He keeps on asking me to play my best tennis.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock, honestly. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37. I finally did it.”
NOVAK DJOKOVIC IS AN OLYMPIC #GOLD MEDALIST 🇷🇸#Paris2024 | #Olympics | #tennis pic.twitter.com/HYkLVPJo6H
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 4, 2024
With his victory on Court Philippe-Chatrier, Djokovic fulfilled a long-held objective of clinching the one significant prize in singles tennis that has eluded him for so long. The record 24-time Grand Slam champion was visibly emotional and tearful after firing a forehand winner past Alcaraz to seal his spot at the top of the podium.
“Everything [about this is special], but most of all it is my country,” said Djokovic. “It’s my pride to play for Serbia. I know Carlos and Rafa [Nadal], they love to play for Spain. Andy [Murray] loved to play for Great Britain. Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. Alex Zverev won in Tokyo for Germany. You saw the reactions of all these guys when they win. It’s something special.”
Djokovic had not won a tour-level title in 2024 prior to arriving in Paris, but after claiming gold in the French capital he has become just 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 an Olympic gold medal in singles.
Players To Complete ‘Golden Slam’ Of Winning All Four Majors & Olympic Gold
| Player | Year Completed |
| Steffi Graf | 1988 |
| Andre Agassi | 1999 |
| Rafael Nadal | 2010 |
| Serena Williams | 2012 |
| Novak Djokovic | 2024 |
Both Djokovic and his great rival Alcaraz showcased remarkable resilience under pressure as a first set featuring 13 break points (Djokovic 5, Alcaraz 8) somehow reached a tie-break without a break of serve. The highlights included Alcaraz rallying from 0/40 to hold in the fourth game, while Djokovic pulled through a see-saw ninth game, packed with scintillating tennis from both players, having faced five break points.
Djokovic’s final break point of the set doubled as a set point at 6-5, 30/40. Although he could not convert, the Serbian retained his composure to reel off four straight points from 3/3 in the tie-break and move ahead on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
In contrast to the opening set, there were few chances on return for both players in the second set. Yet that was not a reflection of any drop in level from two of the world’s top players. Djokovic continued to use variations of pace to keep Alcaraz moving around the court, while the Spaniard, who fended off the only break point of the set in the third game, responded with some trademark moments of shotmaking magic.
Djokovic consistently found a way to force errors from his powerful opponent, however, and also produced his fair share of high-class winners. A rasping, cross-court forehand winner at 2/2 in the second-set tie-break was illustrative of just how dialled in the Serbian was, and he did not blink as he reeled off the next four points to clinch the match.
[ATP APP]Alcaraz was aiming to add an Olympic title to his already-stellar summer, during which he won his third and fourth Grand Slam titles at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, respectively. However, the 21-year-old Spaniard could not forge a breakthrough on return against Djokovic, who saved all eight break points he faced and won 78 per cent (53/68) of points behind his first serve.
“It is painful to lose the way that I lost this match,” said Alcaraz, who was the youngest man to contest a singles gold-medal match since the Olympic Tennis Event returned in 1988. “I had my opportunities… I couldn’t take them. Novak is playing great, he really settled in his position, in the difficult moments he increased his level, he played unbelievable.
“I’m really disappointed but honestly, I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain. It was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today.”
Sunday’s encounter was the second on Court Philippe-Chatrier between the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings Djokovic and No. 3 Alcaraz after Djokovic triumphed in the 2022 Roland Garros semi-finals. The Serbian now leads the pair’s overall Lexus ATP Head2Head series 4-3.
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After saving a combined seven match points earlier this week at the Mubadala Citi DC Open, Sebastian Korda and Flavio Cobolli advanced to the final at the Washington ATP 500. After rain delayed the start of both Saturday evening semi-finals, Korda knocked off Frances Tiafoe 6-4, 6-4 on the stadium court and Cobolli beat Ben Shelton 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 on the grandstand.
Korda, who saved two match points against Thanasi Kokkinakis in the third round, is bidding to match father Petr Korda (1992) by winning the Washington title. He will play for his second tour-level crown in his seventh final.
[ATP APP]In an all-American semi-final, he fired 12 aces and saved the lone break point against him, according to Infosys ATP Stats. He hit 25 winners and made just five unforced errors in a clean performance against local favourite Tiafoe.
“It was pretty good today. Frances plays some of his best tennis here. I just tried to take care of my side of the court,” said Korda. “I think I played really well today and I served really well, so that was probably the key for today.”
Final loading… ⏳
Who is taking the title in Washington? 🏆@mubadalacitidc | #MubadalaCitiDCOpen pic.twitter.com/g2OFFnOXCf
— ATP Tour (@atptour) August 4, 2024
After beating Italy’s Cobolli in the pair’s first Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting earlier this season in Rome, the American will hope to repeat that result on his own home soil.
“We’ve never played each other on a hard court, but we played on clay in Rome, and it’s very tricky to play against him there,” he said. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow. Hopefully a good crowd and some support for me, and we’ll see what happens.”
Cobolli used his biggest career win by PIF ATP Ranking to advance to his first tour-level final, knocking out World No. 14 Shelton. The 22-year-old saved five match points against Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the second round and notched his third consecutive three-set win on Saturday night.
“I’m shaking, I’m so happy,” an emotional Cobolli said post-match. “I can’t describe my emotions right now. I’m so proud of myself. It’s my first final… I really enjoyed the match today. This week is unbelievable. I think it’s my week. Every day I woke up and I just want to play my tennis. This is maybe the reason that I’m here.”
The Italian, who competed in the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF last November, is up 15 places to No. 33 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings this week, setting himself up for a career high. Korda is also set for a new career high after rising three places to No. 19 this week in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Brazilians Rafael Matos and Marcelo Melo advanced to the Mubadala Citi DC Open final with a 7-6(1), 6-4 victory against Sadio Doumbia and Hugo Nys on Saturday. The eighth seeds are seeking their second tour-level title as a duo in 2024, after winning Stuttgart in June.
[ATP APP]Matos/Melo have won all three of their matches in straight sets this week at the ATP 500, with one tie-break win in each match. In the semi-final, they claimed 84 per cent (16 of 19) of their second-serve points and were broken just once on one break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
Americans Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow await in Sunday’s final. The American sixth seeds advanced past Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson after Purcell was forced to withdraw due to fatigue.
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