Novak Djokovic will have a chance to fulfill his longtime dream of winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games after beating Lorenzo Musetti to reach the 2024 Paris Olympics final.
Unlike the women's side of the Olympics, the men's side of the competition has delivered the final of the top two seeds. Top favorite Carlos Alcaraz will take on second favorite Djokovic.
The Serbian has openly spoken about these Olympics being his season's main goal because the gold medal is one of the only triumphs he has never achieved in tennis.
He has won everything else, so the Olympics are the top achievement on his list this year. He has backed up those claims with how he has played in Paris so far, beating opponents fairly comfortably.
He is not playing his ultimate tennis, and he is not playing the cleanest matches, but he is winning them, and after his win over Musetti, he will get a chance to play in the final.
This match was interesting because Musetti came to Paris on the back of a final at the Croatia Open in Umag, which was a continuation of his excellent form, previously resulting in a run to the Wimbledon semi-final.
Interestingly enough, it was Djokovic who bested him in London, and he did it in the French capital as well. This one win was even more impressive, as it was a match on clay.
Clay is the Italian's best surface, and it's not a surprise he made this deep run at this year's Olympics because the Games are played on the surface that he prefers.
However, in this match, the Italian didn't have all the solutions. The first set was close and very competitive. Both players had to save break points in their first two service games, and both did it successfully.
Neither served that well, even though Djokovic did a bit better. Both struggled from the baseline, but Djokovic had more unforced errors, albeit fewer winners.
The crucial game of the opening set was at 5-4 when Djokovic found set points and converted them to win the opening set 6-4. Musetti wasted most of his chances in the first and second set as well.
Similar to Stefanos Tsitsipas, Musetti took an early break in the second set, but he couldn't win the set. Immediately after breaking, the Italian lost the break to make it 1-1.
He broke again for a 2-1 lead but then lost it again. Eventually, Djokovic kept his level high, breaking Musetti once more to steal the second set, and lead 5-2. By that time, the Italian was visibly upset and struggled to keep focus, which the ever-ruthless Djokovic used to the maximum.
He broke his opponent's serve one final time to win the match 6-4, 6-2, and secure the final after yet another sturdy performance. Musetti's inability to separate himself when he was up a break was the main reason why he lost this match.
Carlos Alcaraz awaits in the final, and it will be very tough, possibly impossible for Djokovic, given how well the Spaniard has played this year in the French capital.
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