On opposite sides of their tennis journey, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will face one another for a seventh time on Sunday, bidding to achieve the same goal of becoming an Olympic gold singles medalist in Paris.
Top seed Novak Djokovic, one the greatest athletes of all time, secured his spot into the gold medal match, his career final No. 140, for the first time at age 37, after clinching a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Italian Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinals, Friday on Court Philippe-Chatrier.
After the matchup against 11th seed Musetti, the first Italian player (male or female) to reach the last four at the Olympics in singles since Seul 1988, Djokovic commented: “I’m very proud [and] thrilled to bring a medal, secure a medal for Serbia, whatever happens on Sunday.”
Adding: “Of course, I want to go a step further and try to win the gold. I’m going to do my best on Sunday, but obviously, I want to celebrate something I’ve never achieved before. So, I’m very, very thrilled.”
The Serbian player is competing at the Games for the fifth time and has never gone as far as in Paris, becoming the oldest singles player since 1988 to reach the ultimate feat at the event, representing his nation.
On progressing to the gold medal match, Djokovic showed how much it means to him. “I’ve been waiting for this for almost 20 years,” he asserted.
As of today, his best result at the Olympics came in 2008 Beijing when he won a singles bronze medal.
Injury Concerns
In his previous match against Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, he called the physio twice throughout the encounter, receiving treatment on his right knee.
Last June, the 98-time ATP titlist underwent surgery due to a torn medial meniscus.
Speaking to the press about his injury, Djokovic stressed: “We had to do some additional treatments and things to bring the knee into the best possible state for today.
“Until this morning, I didn’t know how it was going to feel. I am glad there is nothing serious about it.”
Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz, 21, continues to break new ground with his rare talent and physical and mental strength.
The gifted Spaniard, the reigning Roland-Garros winner, advanced to his first final at the event on debut, another outstanding accomplishment to add to a career he is building on a solid basis.
The Murcia-born made his move earlier in the day, easing past Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime with a 6-1, 6-1 triumph in just 75 minutes, becoming the youngest men’s Olympics singles finalist in history.
Sunday’s final will be a much-anticipated rematch of the Wimbledon championship match staged last month in London.
At the time, Alcaraz successfully defended his title, edging the World No. 2 in straight sets, a result the Belgrade native now hopes, with nothing but a gold medal at stake, goes his way on Roland-Garros red clay.
The young Spaniard has put on a show all week, delivering his best tennis and making the most of his vast repertoire to emerge victorious even when fatigue tested him during a thrilling quarterfinal clash against American Tommy Paul.
The World No. 3 rallied in the second set from 2-5 down, fending off a set point in the tiebreaker to beat the in-form ninth seed 6-3, 7-6 (6) on Thursday.
Courtside, he revealed he was tired, but the fact of playing not just for himself but representing his country gave him the boost he needed to make it through it.
“I am not playing just for me but for all my people back in Spain,” he said.
The all-court player set off his maiden Olympic campaign pairing 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal in doubles before the duo was eliminated by Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram on Wednesday, continuing his singles run.
Djokovic vs. Alcaraz
Experience vs youth separates them, talent brings them closer, and both will be writing Olympic tennis history in Paris.
