Novak Djokovic (No. 2) reaches his first
Olympic final first Olympic final after beating
Lorenzo Musetti (No. 16) 6-4,
6-2. The Serb had failed in all three of his Olympic semifinals so far, but at
the age of 37, he is ready for gold. but at the age of 36 he is ready to
challenge for gold for the first time in his career.
In a duel of high tension, Djokovic overcame a
strong Musetti in the first set and eventually took advantage of the Italian's
shortcomings to take advantage of the Italian's shortcomings, especially on the
backhand. Now 'Nole' prepares to challenge
Carlos Alcaraz once again in a
final.
Djokovic Wins High-Tension Clash Against Musetti
The first set saw Musetti ready to compete on
equal footing with the 24-time Grand Slam champion. In their last encounter at
Wimbledon, Djokovic had been immensely superior to his opponent, but this time
on clay, Musetti showed much more comfort in his service.
Djokovic started the match with noticeable
special motivation but found a rival playing at a very high level. The first
break points came in the third and fourth games, but neither could capitalize.
Djokovic consistently pressured Musetti's backhand, which the Italian managed
to counter, at least in the first part of the match.
However, Nole persisted on that side, and when
leading 5-4, he took advantage of a single opportunity to break and take the
set 6-4, despite the evenly matched duel. Djokovic committed 12 unforced errors
compared to Musetti's 15, clearly showing it was a battle of nerves.
Novak Djokovic at the Olympics.
In the second set, the tension continued to
escalate. Musetti secured an early break, but Djokovic immediately recovered
it. Both players repeated breaks in the third and fourth games, keeping the
score tight. However, Nole's impetus started to put him ahead of the Italian,
improving his first serve to 74%, while Musetti had only 52%, a very low
percentage against one of the best returners in history.
Musetti paid dearly for his lack of first
serves in the second set. After the 2-2, Djokovic went all out to secure the
win, taking the next four games consecutively. In total, Musetti suffered five
consecutive breaks and couldn't maintain the high level from much of the first
set.
Djokovic finally reaches the Olympic final 16
years after his first semifinal. This time, he is just one match away from
achieving the coveted Career Golden Slam, with the Olympic gold medal being the
only title he has yet to win. It won’t be easy, as he will face Carlos Alcaraz,
the most recent Roland Garros champion.