Djokovic drops bombshell revelation: what did the Olympic Games gold medalist say?
The Serb played one of the most solid tennis matches in his career to finally win the gold medal at the Summer Games against Alcaraz.
Novak Djokovic will probably remember the 2024 Olympic Games with a big smile forever. The Serb accomplished one of his career’s biggest goals, a challenge that had been escaping from his hands on several occasions, winning the gold medal at the Summer Games after four failed attempts.
The 24-time Grand Slam tournament champion came close to accomplishing that feat in the past but always fell short. The former world No. 1 won the bronze medal in the Beijing 2008 Olympics in a tournament where Rafa Nadal clinched gold.
In the following two Olympic Games editions he was defeated by Juan Martin Del Potro and was eliminated by Alexander Zverev in Tokyo 2021.
While most tennis pundits had Carlos Alcaraz winning the event, due to his incredible form since the French Open and Djokovic’s struggles with his knee, the Belgrade native recorded one of the best tennis matches as a professional in a very close match against the Spanish superstar.
Djokovic’s unexpected message: what did the gold medalist say?
After beating Alcaraz in two tie-breaks, the 37-year-old maestro couldn’t hide his emotions and started crying in the center of the court. After that, he celebrated his victory with his family and team and had some nice words for his opponent.
Djokovic surprised everyone by stating these might not be his last Olympic Games, as he pretends to compete in Los Angeles, in 2028.
“I still want to play in Los Angeles. I enjoy playing for my country and the Olympic Games particularly and Davis Cup, being part of the team”, he said.
The Serb explained that winning the Olympics has been his biggest accomplishment and it’s a moment he has been waiting for all his career.
“Olympic Games come every four years so the opportunity to win gold for your country is very rare and I knew the fact that I’m 37 and I don’t know how many more chances I’ll have, I knew everything”, Djokovic added.
“I have to deal with that, I have to try to silence all the noise around me and focus on what needs to be done on the court. And that’s the biggest battle to win. I’m super thrilled that I managed to do it here in the way that I did it, against a guy who is the best in the world at the moment. I’m just over the moon”, he added.
The gold medal, the most special trophy for Djokovic
Although Nole has won it all as a tennis player and has featured in all the ATP events, he admitted that he had never experienced such a special moment after defeating Alcaraz and finally securing the gold medal.
“Everything that I felt in that moment when I won really surpassed everything I thought or hoped that it would. I thought that carrying the flag at the opening ceremony (in London) was the best feeling ever until I experienced this today.”
“And being on that court with the Serbian flag raising, singing the Serbian anthem, with the gold around my neck, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport. It definitely stands out as the biggest sporting achievement I had”, he concluded.
Djokovic won’t play at the Canadian Open, as he will take a break and enjoy his historic triumph with his family and friends, although he’s expected to compete again in Cincinnati to start preparing for the fourth and last major of the year, the US Open.