Novak Djokovic ended the long wait of being crowned an Olympics champion as he defeated Carlos Alcaraz in men's singles final on Sunday, wearing the gold medal across his neck for the first time in his career. The battle between Djokovic and Alcaraz was neck-to-neck, with neither managing to break the other. Both the first and the second sets had to be decided via tie-breakers, with the Serbian Djokovic prevailing every time. As India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar extended greetings to Djokovic on the triumph, he also highlighted what exactly went wrong with Alcaraz. (Medals Tally Olympics 2024)
Tendulkar, in his post on X, said that the only problem with Alcaraz in the game was his service, as he couldn't produce aces at crucial intervals. This is the area where Djokovic had the upper hand.
"Well done, @DjokerNole, on winning the gold medal at #Paris2024.@carlosalcaraz put up a strong fight and obviously has a bright future ahead, but Djokovic had an ace up his sleeve whenever he was serving. That was the key to his success today, in my opinion. Alcaraz has what it takes, but to truly dominate for years on all surfaces, he'll need to step up his serve!," he said.
Djokovic called the Paris Olympics gold medal win his 'biggest sporting achievement' till date, despite having won all four Grand Slams multiple times.
"This is probably the biggest sporting success I have ever had and the most special feeling," said the 37-year-old Serb.
"I thought carrying the flag at the opening ceremony for my country at the 2012 Olympics was the best feeling an athlete could have until today.
"Now at the age of 37 and facing a 21-year-old who is probably the best player in the world right now, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back, I can say that this is probably the biggest sporting success I have ever had," he said.