Novak Djokovic arrived in Paris desperately wanting that elusive gold medal, which he never won, and he finally got it after beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
The list of Djokovic's achievements is incredible, and sometimes it's hard to believe that it's real. However, one achievement was notably missing before the final of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
It wasn't a knock on his legacy or career because that would be absurd, but not having a gold medal was something that the Serbian wanted to change. The 37-year-old has won almost every tournament multiple times, but not having a gold medal bothered him.
He openly spoke about it often because it just meant so much to him to represent Serbia. Coming from a small country and looking back at his life story, which includes humble beginnings, bringing that gold medal is just something that tops everything else for him.
And yet, it never happened, but he finally did it in Paris. The Serbian played his best match in a very long time today to down Carlos Alcaraz in two sets and win that gold medal.
It was an overwhelming moment, clearly visible in his reaction. Even when things settled a bit after the match, Djokovic struggled to really formulate how much it meant to him.
"I don’t know. I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling right now. Feeling different emotions. Too proud. Too happy. Thrilled with the possibility to win a gold for the first time in my career for my country. Arguably the biggest success I had."
"I won probably everything there is to win in my individual career. Winning Davis Cup and particularly a golden medal at age 37 for Serbia is unprecedented. I’m just starting my celebration. I can’t wait for what’s coming up in the next 48 hours."
What he was able to formulate is that winning the gold medal certainly felt like the missing puzzle to his career. In reality, it's truly like that because that's the only big achievement a tennis player can win that Djokovic never won.
Having done that, he has now completed what is the best tennis career we've ever seen, without any mistake. Not having won that gold medal bothered him very much because it seemed like he didn't do enough, but he's human, and he has internal battles like all of us. Finally, winning takes away all those worries. It was the missing piece.
"Yes, it is. It is. I’m telling myself always that I am enough. Because I can be very self critical. I don’t know. That’s one of the biggest internal battles I keep on fighting with myself. That I feel like I haven’t done enough or been enough in my life on and off the court. So it’s a big lesson for me."
"I’m super grateful for the blessing to win a historic gold medal for my country. To complete the golden slam. To complete all the records."