Carlos Alcaraz was just one victory away from achieving his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal for his country, but Novak Djokovic snatched it away from him.
Understandably, the Spaniard was very emotional after the defeat. Alcaraz's level on the singles court had been the best of any player in the tournament heading into the final. He looked ominously good during his semifinal triumph against Felix Auger-Aliassime on Friday.
The 21-year-old also had his coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, back in the stands for the final. Ferrero stayed at home for his players' other matches but felt a duty to support Alcaraz on such a huge occasion.
Alcaraz also hoped to continue a tradition by winning an Olympic gold medal. He gets a commemorative tattoo each time he wins a major title for the first time.
When he triumphed at the US Open in 2022, he got the date of his win tattooed. At Wimbledon last year, Alcaraz had a strawberry tattooed to mark the moment, while at the French Open, a few months he had the Eiffel Tower put on his skin.
Most fans and analysts considered Alcaraz to be the favorite for the Olympic gold medal. Despite Djokovic's incredible achievements, he lost his last two major finals to Alcaraz at Wimbledon. However, the Serbian stunned many with the level he produced.
Djokovic had warned Alcaraz before the match he would be a different player from the one who received a drubbing from the Spaniard at Wimbledon a few weeks ago, and he was proven correct.
An incredible first set, including the Serbian saving six break points in one of his service games, was decided on a tiebreak. As he often does, Djokovic raised his level even further during the tiebreak and took it 7-3.
There were no breaks of serve during the match, meaning another tiebreak was needed in the second set. Alcaraz made some uncharacteristic during the second tiebreak to seal a 7-6, 7-6 triumph and a gold medal for Djokovic.
Alcaraz had to do an interview immediately after the match with his compatriot and former French Open runner-up Alex Corretja. The former world No. 1 could not hide how raw his emotions were after the match.
As seen in the video below, after Corretja asks his opening question, Alcaraz tries to answer. However, he then cracks up and begins to cry, the feeling of missing out on a gold medal still too much for him.
Corretja handles the situation superbly. He immediately consoles his fellow Spaniard, telling him to take his time. The 50-year-old then speaks directly to the camera while Alcaraz composes himself in the background.
To Alcaraz's immense credit, he returns to the interview with his trademark smile before dissecting the match in Spanish, saying it was a great battle and giving Djokovic credit for his performance.
Alcaraz may have lost the match, but he demonstrated in that moment why he has endeared himself to many tennis fans. The Spaniard wears his heart on his sleeve but also conducts himself correctly.
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