Carlos Alcaraz recently shared his admiration for Novak Djokovic, acknowledging the Serbian’s historic achievement of completing the career Golden Slam. Despite the 21-year-old Spaniard’s disappointment after their intense gold medal match at the Paris Olympics, Alcaraz expressed that Djokovic “deserves to live this moment” but also revealed his own ambitious goal to surpass the tennis great.
Just weeks after defeating Djokovic in straight sets at Wimbledon to secure his fourth Grand Slam title, Alcaraz faced the legendary Serbian once more on the Parisian clay courts. This time, it was Djokovic who emerged victorious, clinching the gold medal in two tie-breakers.
The match was marked by profound emotion from both players. Djokovic, at 37 years old, shed tears of joy as he became only the fifth player to achieve the career Golden Slam. Meanwhile, Alcaraz struggled with his own disappointment, as he had hoped to secure gold for Spain and himself. “I wanted gold and losing is never pleasant, but I’m leaving with my head held high,” Alcaraz told Eurosport. “I fought until the last ball. I gave it my all. When you lose like that, you leave the court proud. Djokovic wanted to win gold even more than I did, and he deserved the victory.”
Alcaraz reflected on his emotional response, saying, “My tears were because I thought I couldn’t achieve the goal of all the Spaniards, including mine, of making them feel proud for gold. But seen from another perspective, winning an Olympic medal is never easy.”
After the match, Alcaraz and Djokovic exchanged a few words at the net. Alcaraz recounted Djokovic’s message: “He told me that I will win gold one day and that I should work for it. My moment will come. He deserves to live this moment with his family. His tears show how much it meant to him.”
This Olympic clash was their seventh encounter, with Djokovic now leading their head-to-head record 4-3. Alcaraz drew parallels to their earlier Cincinnati Open final, where Djokovic triumphed in a grueling three-set battle that lasted nearly four hours. Reflecting on these high-stakes matches, Alcaraz noted, “It reminds me more of the Cincinnati loss, where I had my chances, and it was a great battle.”
For Alcaraz, such intense encounters only fuel his determination. “All the matches against him are great battles and a spectacle for tennis fans,” he said. “These matches make you a better player and a better person. I will work with ambition to be better than Djokovic.”
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