PARIS – Tennis superstar Novak Djokovic of Serbia is set to face Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz at Roland Garros on Sunday, both aiming for Olympic gold, which would be a significant milestone for either player.
Djokovic advanced to his first Olympic final on Friday, defeating Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti with a score of 6-4, 6-2 in a challenging semi-final match.
Despite holding an impressive 24 Grand Slam titles, the Olympic title has eluded the seasoned player.
This upcoming match will mark the seventh encounter between the two athletes, following Alcaraz’s recent triumph over Djokovic in the Wimbledon final.
“It’s a huge relief,” Djokovic said, reflecting on his Olympic journey. His only previous Olympic achievement was winning a bronze medal in Beijing in 2008. “I have reached the semifinals in three out of four Olympic Games, and winning bronze in Beijing was the highlight. Securing a higher medal for my country is a tremendous honor, and regardless of what happens on Sunday, I’m going for gold. There’s no doubt about it—this is significant,” he emphasized.
The 37-year-old Djokovic appeared to be in good form despite a right knee injury that he aggravated in his quarter-final match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. He acknowledged that Alcaraz would likely be the favorite going into the match, as the 21-year-old Spaniard recently clinched the French Open title on the same Court Philippe Chatrier.
“I have nothing to lose,” Djokovic noted. “He [Alcaraz] defeated me at Wimbledon, but these circumstances are different, and I believe I’m a better player now than I was then. I’m going to bring my best game.”
Djokovic’s determination was evident during his semi-final against Musetti, where he received warnings for taking too long to serve and for swearing at the umpire. “I was reflecting on all the semi-finals I’ve lost in the Olympics before today’s match, which is why I felt so tense on the court,” he admitted.
On the other hand, Alcaraz, the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, swiftly dispatched Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime in just 75 minutes.
Looking ahead to the final, Alcaraz expressed his ambition: “Winning the gold medal has been my goal since the beginning of the year, and now we have one match left to achieve that.”
In his semi-final, Alcaraz dominated, breaking Auger-Aliassime three times in the first set and winning six consecutive games, then breaking twice in the second set to secure his victory.
“The final is very important for me and for Spain, but I’m trying not to think too much about its significance; my focus is on the match,” Alcaraz stated.
Alcaraz will be the fourth Spanish man to compete in the Olympic men’s final, following in the footsteps of Jordi Arrese in Barcelona in 1992, Sergi Bruguera in Atlanta in 1996, and Rafael Nadal, who won gold in Beijing in 2008.
