Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Paris as the number one favorite to win the gold medal, and while he genuinely believed he could do it, it didn't quite happen that way.
Alcaraz has been dominating on the ATP Tour for a few weeks now as the Spaniard won both Roland Garros and Wimbledon. That type of run was genuinely incredible; not only are we talking about different surfaces, but being able to keep the level high through two months was impressive.
He oozed confidence, and it came from that dominance. That's why he arrived at the Olympics as the number one favorite to win the gold medal, and he did well at the event by making the final.
There weren't any problems for him in making the final, but in the final, he faced Novak Djokovic, and the Serbian proved better. Djokovic played his best match this year to beat Alcaraz in two tight sets, fulfilling a life-long dream of winning the gold medal.
It was a very painful loss for Alcaraz, who was visibly dejected after the match, though he did crack a smile while giving Djokovic his flowers at the net.
After the match, the 21-year-old lamented the loss, pointing out that he had plenty of chances to take the lead in this match, especially in the opening set, where he wasted eight break points before losing the set in the tie-break.
This type of loss hurts the most because it was a very winnable match for him, even if he didn't play his best. He didn't find the needed level when it mattered the most, while his opponent did.
"It’s painful to lose the way I lost this match. I had my chances to probably be up in the match. I couldn’t take it. Novak was playing great. He deserves this. In the tough moments he increased his level. He played unbelievable shots.. an unbelievable game."
As annoying as it was to lose the match, Alcaraz rightfully admitted that Djokovic played a fantastic match and deservedly won. When it mattered the most, the Serbian was able to find his best tennis, which won him the match.
For the four-time major winner, the outcome might not have been the one he wanted, but he can certainly be proud of the way he fought. He fought until the end, but sometimes the opponent simply plays better, and this time, he had to accept that.
"I’m a bit disappointed but honestly I’ll leave the court with my head really really high. I gave everything I had. Fighting for Spain was everything to me. I’m proud with the way I played today."
It's not the end of the world for the Spaniard because he will have many more chances in the future. Only in a few weeks, he will be competing at the US Open, and it's time to think about his future.
He's done well, won a silver medal, and made a lot of people proud back home. In four years, he will try to win that gold medal.