Novak Djokovic is finally an Olympic champion, as he managed to beat Carlos Alcaraz in an epic final at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The last time these two stood on the court opposite one another, it was an underwhelming match because Alcaraz just easily overpowered Djokovic. Some worried that this match may go similarly, but early on, it was clear that it wouldn't be, because the match lasted 30 minutes after the first four games.
Both players found the games complicated because there was a lot of battling back and forth. One player dominated for a while, and then the other dominated for a while.
Djokovic wasted three consecutive break points at the start of the match, which was annoying for him. Alcaraz also wasted breakpoints in the rest of the opening set, so it had to be decided in a tie-break.
They were too close in terms of level, and neither could use the chances they had. The 37-year-old wasted five break points in that opening set while Alcaraz wasted eight break points, and the tie-break had to decide the match.
It wasn't good for the Spaniard because he made a couple of really bizarre and uncharacteristic errors. Djokovic took the first mini-break at 3-3 with a sensational return, and after that, the 21-year-old just sent a couple of balls wide.
It was bizarre because he doesn't generally miss like that. He had some moments in this match where he hit the ball too hard a couple of times, but doing it in those moments was not good.
It wasn't a bad set of tennis for Alcaraz. It was just when he really needed to win the point, such as one of the eight break chances he had, the Spaniard wasn't able to, and the worst stretch of the opening set coincided with the tie-break and he lost the set, 3-7 in the tie-break.
The second set didn't bring anything different because the four-time major winner was still struggling to get into the match. He had some great moments, but for the most part, he was overwhelmed by the 37-year-old, who was super focused.
This was peak Djokovic, like a computer finding weaknesses and exploiting them. Alcaraz lost his smile during the match, which showed how he felt, as it generally never happens.
His confidence tanked after that opening set, but to his credit, he was battling and staying in the match. Djokovic gave his all and pushed to try and break through, but the Spaniard survived.
It was a hugely important set because the 24-time major winner wouldn't want to play that third set. The problem for Alcaraz is that he really couldn't create any kind of pressure in the second set
As a result, the set ended up yet another tie-break, and this time, it seemed like Djokovic was far more likely to win from everything we've seen up until that point.
It started well for the Serbian, who hit a superb winner for a 1-0 lead and then saved an impossible point to lead 2-0. Alcaraz would pull it back to 2-2, but another otherwordly forehand by Djokovic made it 3-2.
Not too long after that, it was 5-2 as Alcaraz made more mistakes. Djokovic was able to keep his level incredibly high, ending the match with a superb winner to win 7-6(3), 7-6(2), and win the gold medal that he dreamed of for so long.
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