After Novak Djokovic Completes Golden Grand Slam, What’s Next For Tennis Icon

In one of Olympic history’s most thrilling tennis matches, Serbian star Novak Djokovic won gold over Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, a battle of the second and third-ranked players in the world. Djokovic took the match in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2), that lasted over two hours. The final occurred at Paris’ Roland Garros, the sight of the French Open, and the court Alcaraz finished victoriously in June this year.

After winning one of the only tournaments Djokovic had not one before, he became visibly emotional and spoke candidly to Peacock after the round.

“I’m telling myself, always, that I’m enough. Because I can be very self-critical, that’s one of my biggest battles, internal battles that I keep fighting myself,” he said. “I don’t feel like I’ve done enough, I haven’t been enough on the court, off the court.”

While Djokovic boasts one of the most impressive resumes of any player in the sport, 2024 has not treated him kindly. He tore his meniscus at the French Open just six weeks ago and underwent surgery. The Serbian did not know if he would be healthy enough to compete and sustained more alignments during the Olympics and gave a dark update to reporters after the quarterfinal.

“I am very worried, to be honest. I don’t know what to say. The pain was very strong for two games after it happened. I don’t know if I slipped or what happened.”

But he found a way during the semifinal and final and became the first Serbian to win a gold medal in tennis. The 37-year-old completed the ‘golden slam,’ winning all four tennis majors and first place at the Olympic games, one of only four people, male or female, to accomplish this feat.

Conversely, Alcaraz will want to flush these two weeks in Paris as quickly as possible. He bowed out in the quarterfinals during doubles play with Rafael Nadal and lost in straight sets when favored to win the match over Djokovic.

Article by Jordan Silversmith