Less than a month after contesting the Wimbledon final against each other, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic have met again in the battle for the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
After a hard-fought match, the victory went to the Serb in two tight tie-breaks where he was better in the most important moments, taking them by 7-3 and 7-2 respectively. Nole already has what he has been longing for for years and has finished the game with absolutely every possible major title won. He seals a Career Golden Slam in a match little expected him to win.
In the first set, Djokovic started off on top after winning his first service game, 1-0. Then, Alcaraz would face the first break ball of the match with advantage for the Serbian. Carlitos would save it with a trademark drop shot, and after a very disputed game, the Spaniard put the score at 1-1, returning equality to the scoreboard.
In the next game, despite Alcaraz was 0-30 up, Djokovic managed to turn the situation around. 2-1. Here, the Spaniard was going to face his biggest challenge so far, with 0-40 and three break points for Nole. Alcaraz, however, was to save all three, and still maintained the tie despite multiple opportunities for his rival.
With 2-2 and Djokovic on serve, Carlitos had up to three break points during the game, but all of them the Serbian was going to save them with very accurate serves. 3-2. Now the Spaniard had a quiet game on serve to make it 3-3. The Serbian was still very solid with his serve, and placed the 4-3 on the scoreboard without a break.
From this moment on, every game was crucial. Alcaraz made it 4-4 with an empty set, the first of the match. Although Alcaraz had up to five break balls, Djokovic saved all of them and made it 5-4. Pressure for the Spaniard, who solved with the 5-5 after getting 40-30. Novak Djokovic continued to hold his serve, and forced at least the tie-break at 6-5. Then, at 30-40 Djokovic had a break point and a set point, but Alcaraz turned it around and sent the set to tie-break.
A memorable first set was to be decided in the tiebreaker. Djokovic started with a 1-0 lead after winning his first serve. With a forehand, Alcaraz made it 1-1, and with a masterful crosscourt backhand he made it 1-2. Now, Carlitos missed a parallel backhand that left the score at 2-2. Djokovic continued to serve very well, and made it 3-2 going up to the net. The 3-3 came after a great serve by the Spaniard.
With a subtraction, Djokovic added the first mini break and went 4-3 and with two serves. An unforced error by Alcaraz left the Serb 5-3 up. Another great serve from Nole put him ahead to 6-3 with three set points. He would only need one, and Djokovic took the first set 7-3 in the tie-break.
The second set began with another hard-fought game, which Carlitos was able to pull off with his serve. The Serbian, with the confidence of having won the first set, was intractable in his game and pointed the tie on the scoreboard. To make matters worse, he had a break point in the third game of the set but the Murcian saved it with an inverted crosscourt forehand to the corner, and then completed the comeback and went to the change of side with an advantage in the scoreboard.
Djokovic continued to be unstoppable with the serve while Alcaraz had more problems but managed to solve them. In the sixth game, the Spaniard started for the first time in the second set with 0-15 but it was pure anecdote before Novak turned it around smoothly. After that, for the first time in a long time, Alcaraz had a calm service game.
When the match reached its most tense moment, with 4-3 on the scoreboard, Alcaraz put Nole in trouble for the first time in the set with the return, but the Belgrade player did not even allow a break ball against him. The next game started 40-0 for Carlos but the world number 2 came back to scare him, although the two-time Wimbledon champion was not intimidated, coming back to sit with an advantage.
Carlitos got his first hold in a handful of games but Djokovic did not slow the pace with his serve, playing and serving as in his best moments, completing by far his best match of the year by context and rival, and forcing the second tie-break of the match.
The sudden death started better for the Serbian, taking the first two points, but Alcaraz responded in the best possible way the next two. Novak was not going to leave and with one of the best points of the match, a stratospheric forehand, he returned to place himself with a mini break up.
However, from there, Alcaraz fell apart completely and gave up three consecutive points that put the match on a platter to Nole, who bit his rival and did not let go until the end, taking the tie-break by a resounding 7-2.
Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz. It's a historic gold medal match at Roland-Garros! 🔥 37-year-old Djokovic is the oldest to ever play in the tennis men's singles final at the Olympics. 21-year-old Alcaraz is the youngest. #Paris2024 @Paris2024 @itftennis
