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Novak Djokovic winning his first Olympic gold medal on Sunday was a double surprise. First of all, he was not a shoo-in to win, although he was the goat of tennis in simple male. The 37 -year -old man, who spent much of the year to face knee problems, faced Carlos Alcaraz, the 21 -year -old Spanish phenomenon who beat Djokovic in the Wimbledon final last month.
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The second surprise was his intensely emotional reaction to victory. When he scored the final point, he let out a powerful howl, raising his arms to the sky and dropping his racket. This is normal for the course for Djokovic. But it was after he went to greet Alcaraz with the net that his emotions began to settle. He fell on his knees on the red clay then rested on his elbows, his head buried in his hands and his chest lifting with emotion.
After a few moments, he switched to his lap and raised his hands to the sky. Sobbing, he made the sign of the cross. Djokovic was then taken to the stands, where he immediately caught his young daughter while his wife, son and team surrounded him in a huge hug. He had finally fulfilled his dream.
At this point, even the most relaxed tennis fans saw Djokovic winning a tournament. He collapses on the ground, he jumps and shouts, he kisses his family and his team. It's not by heart, but it's a routine. He has won all the Grand Colam several times. He has the record for most of the Men's Grand Chelem victories in the history of tennis and is equal to Margaret short for the record of all time (24).
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This is why his answer was so unexpected. After winning bronze in 2008 at the age of 21, then finished fourth in 2012 and 2021, he Really wanted to gain gold. And it was like the first time in a long time that he was ready to let the world see part of him that is not perfect and composed. He wanted something, failed, had to fight for that and finally got out in mind. It is one of the most human stories that are.
The place of Djokovic in the history of tennis, and all that he accomplished is what makes his response so resonant and so touching. The Olympic Games do not matter for tennis (nor the ranking points of the WTA or ATP for the Games), but the Olympic Games count for him. It was not only another cut in his Grand Chelem belt. He wanted to win the gold medal for himself and Serbia.
He has almost lost it several times. There were moments that you could almost feel that the desperate carelessness just hiding under the surface, ready to unbalance it. He shouted in his box, accusing them of staying silent and not to help him when he needed it. He looked at Alcaraz in perplexity, shaking his head every time he transformed one of the winners of Djokovic into his own winner.
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But Djokovic has never broken. He never panicked. He has never abandoned. Faced with a 21 -year -old man at the very beginning of what has already been an exciting and accomplished career, the 37 -year -old brought each lesson he had ever learned in tennis, each experience he had acquired, each endurance ounce that he could bring together. Beating Alcaraz was not only tennis on the ground. It was about his mind. Which player could better resist pressure?
Sunday was Djokovic. The crowd was slightly tilted to Alcaraz, but it was clear that they wanted to be entertained by great tennis more than anything else. Djokovic did not always obtain a full support for Roland Garros, but the crowd was 100% behind him when the last point was marked. They rugged in appreciation and celebration while the greatest male tennis player of all time finally realized his dream of winning an Olympic gold medal.
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At that time, there was no tomorrow. No thought of his next tournament, or the United States, or his knee injury, or even Carlos Alcaraz. There was just Djokovic, crumpled on the red clay, doing what thousands of Olympians around the world did before him: crying with joy, crying out for pride, desperate to embrace the people who helped him every day.
There are a lot of djokovic moments that will live in memory. But that, his Olympic gold medal at the end of his career, will be out of competition in 10, 20, 30 years. It represents so much the spirit of tennis and the true nature of dedication and commitment. But that also represents so much Djokovic: for a man who has always been dedicated to being the aberrant value, the exception, the different, his most touching moment came when he simply let his real emotions shine and let them take.
