Novak Djokovic has never won a gold medal at the Olympics, and his last chance may come this year in Paris.
The Serbian has won everything a tennis player can possibly win in tennis. The list of achievements is too long to count, but one thing is a notable absence from his resume.
He has never won a gold medal at the Olympic Games, which seems incredible, considering what caliber of an athlete he is. He has won 24 Grand Slams throughout his long career, but he never got to win the gold medal.
It's his biggest regret, and he's talked about it openly. To this day, he wants to win that gold medal partly because his country doesn't usually win that many at the Olympics.
Serbia is a very small country with a rich sporting history, inherited in part from the former Yugoslavia, which was a sporting powerhouse for much of its existence.
However, it's still not something that happens regularly, as for the United States, China, or Russia, for example. The 37-year-old has a medal, but it was a bronze medal from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Boris Becker, Djokovic's coach during the 2016 Olympics in Rio, has a unique perspective on his former protege's hunger for a gold medal. In 2016, Djokovic lost to Juan Martin Del Potro in the first round.
The former player and current Eurosport tennis analyst explained in a recent interview why Djokovic is desperate for a gold medal.
"I don’t know if you understand the importance of Novak Djokovic in Serbia. He could be President. He could be anything. He is a proper icon in Serbia and so naturally for him, he wants to represent Serbia on a world stage. There is no better place to do that than at the Olympics."
The Olympic Games present the biggest stage at which an athlete can promote their country. As a fierce patriot, Djokovic wants to change his inability to deliver that glory.
While most of his countrymen would forgive him in a heartbeat, does he have what it takes to forgive himself? In 2016, Becker observed how deeply shaken Djokovic was by the loss to Del Potro, and it made him realize just how important it is for him.
"You can’t imagine the expectation and the power he has when he plays for Serbia. That event in 2016 allowed me to understand it. Then he lost to Del Potro in the first round and you just couldn’t speak to him for the first couple of days as he was heartbroken."
"It was one of the biggest disappointments in his career, but there you go. He has so many great victories in his career, but you could see the disappointment."
Not many are giving him great chances to win gold this year, with Carlos Alcaraz seemingly destined for glory. Still, we are talking about Djokovic, who will be doubly motivated after Wimbledon and by the occasion. Anything can happen once the umpire calls 'play.'
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