Djokovic's epic last stand ends lengthy quest for gold

In the aftermath of his Wimbledon final defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic found it remarkably easy to come to terms with the battering he had just taken on Centre Court.

- JAMIE BRAIDWOOD

As a chance to make further history slipped away and Alcaraz demonstrated his supremacy over a one-sided final, Djokovic reached peace by reminding himself that a bigger goal and more important opportunity would quickly arrive. After all, if there was one tennis match Djokovic could have picked to win at the start of the year, it wouldn’t have been the Wimbledon final.

Just 21 days later, an inspired Djokovic earned revenge and ended his long quest for a first Olympic gold medal, defeating Alcaraz 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) in an all-time final at Roland Garros.

At 37 and at his fifth Olympics, Djokovic captured the one title that had so far evaded him in a bid to complete the career golden slam. Two months after tearing his meniscus in his right knee and appearing to be a doubt for the Games when he underwent surgery, Djokovic returned to the same court on PhilippeChatrier to record one of the greatest victories of his career against his young rival, delivering a gold medal for Serbia that will rank highly among his record 24 grand slam titles.

In doing so, he managed to suppress Alcaraz just as the Spaniard appeared to be a level above what Djokovic was able to produce at this stage of his career. Djokovic dug deep into his reserves, first denying and then outlasting Alcaraz in a titanic 93-minute opening set. He withstood Alcaraz’s powers of athleticism and shot-making in an epic last stand that displayed a vintage look at his greatest qualities as a tennis player. Djokovic endured, remaining solid in all aspects of his game, and delivered when the biggest moments arrived to claim a historic victory in one of the most memorable Olympics finals ever staged.