Novak Djokovic has achieved a lot in his tennis career, but winning the gold medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympics is his biggest sporting success.
Picking the biggest success of a career is a really tough task for someone like the 37-year-old Serbian. There is simply too much to choose from because he won countless trophies, including the Davis Cup and 24 Grand Slams.
He also spent the most number of weeks as number one, which is another huge achievement. There is too much to choose from, but for Djokovic, this most recent win ranks highly.
He waited so long to fulfill this dream, and in the French capital, he managed to do it against all odds, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final, 7-6(3), 7-6(2). The first Olympics he ever contested were in 2008, when he lost to Rafael Nadal in the semi-final
He won the bronze medal, but that wasn't what he wanted. He would miss out on the gold medal in 2012, 2016, and 2020 to finally win it this year in Paris. It has been such a long wait for him, making it all the more significant.
It's not the only reason it is so significant; many facts contribute to it. Djokovic explained it well to the media after the match, explaining that it wasn't expected, as Alcaraz was the huge favorite in the final match.
"I won the bronze in my first Olympic Games (2008) and ever since then failed to win the medal and played three out of four Olympic Games in semi-finals and couldn't overcome that obstacle."
"And then now at age 37, with a 21-year-old that is probably the best player in the world right now, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back and playing incredible tennis. When I take everything into consideration, this probably is the biggest sporting success I've ever had in my career."
It's not just that he won the gold medal, as amazing as that is on its own. He won it by beating Alcaraz in the final, and he beat him comfortably. It was proof that not only is he not done, but he's not even remotely done with doing great things in tennis.
Alcaraz bested him at Wimbledon a few weeks ago, and now, on a surface that likely favors the Spaniard more, Djokovic was able to overcome him and do it in style.
Alcaraz was absolutely dominating in the past few months, and many assumed that he would win the gold medal. The fact that Djokovic was able to overcome that speaks volumes, and for him, it's even greater honor than carrying Serbia's flag in 2012.
"Until today I thought that carrying the Serbian flag at the 2012 opening ceremony in London is the best feeling that an athlete could have. This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped that I could experience and that I could feel."
0 Comments