SportsOlympics

Actions

Djokovic completes golden slam, defeats Alcaraz in Olympic final

Before Sunday, Olympic gold had eluded one of the most illustrious tennis players in history.
Paris Olympics Tennis
Posted
and last updated

Although Novak Djokovic is the winningest male tennis player in grand slam history, there was one major title that eluded him throughout his career.

On Sunday, Djokovic capped off what is known as the "Golden Slam" by adding Olympic gold to his resume of 24 grand slam singles titles. Representing Serbia, he defeated Spain's Carlos Alcaraz Sunday 7-6, 7-6.

Sunday's meeting at the site of the French Open was the seventh all-time between Alcaraz and Djokovic. The Serbian now leads the all-time series 4-3.

They previously met last month in the Wimbledon final, with Alcaraz taking the final in straight sets.

RELATED STORY | Sunisa Lee claims sixth Olympic medal, finishing in top 3 of uneven bars

Djokovic last earned a medal at the Olympics in 2008, when he won a bronze medal by defeating Juan Martín del Potro after losing to Great Britain's Andy Murray. He had an opportunity to medal at the 2020 Olympics but lost to Alexander Zverev in the semifinals before falling to Pablo Carreño Busta in the bronze medal match.

The 2024 Olympics marked Alcaraz's first in the Olympics. The 21-year-old who has already won four grand slams was the youngest tennis player to ever appear in a men's singles final. Djokovic at age 37 became the oldest to appear in the finals.

Winning gold for Serbia gave the nation its eighth Olympic gold of all time.