Djokovic, Alcaraz to meet again, this time for gold

Alcaraz close to making history with spot in gold medal final (0:59)

Carlos Alcaraz continues to create history at the Paris Games as he defeats Félix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals in two sets. (0:59)

On August 2, 2024, at 8:29 PM

PARIS -- Novak Djokovic, who had surgery on his knee, didn't seem to be affected at all as he made it to the Summer Olympics singles final for the first time. He beat Italy's Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2 on Friday night.

Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz are set to compete for the championship this Sunday. This match will be a repeat of the last two Wimbledon finals, which Alcaraz emerged victorious in, with the most recent win occurring just three weeks ago. Alcaraz currently holds four Grand Slam titles, while Djokovic boasts an impressive total of 24 titles.

"This is going to be the most difficult challenge for me right now," Djokovic said about facing Alcaraz, who also emerged victorious at the French Open in June at the Roland Garros venue, which is the same clay-court facility being utilized for the Olympics.

Novak Djokovic from Serbia, who is 37 years old, has become the oldest man to reach the Olympic men's singles final. On the other hand, Carlos Alcaraz from Spain, who is only 21 years old, has made history by being the youngest player to reach the same final.

During the French Open, Djokovic suffered an injury to his right knee which required surgery on June 5th. He experienced intense pain while playing against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinals, but managed to perform well in his match against Musetti.

Djokovic had never won a semifinal match at the Games before, losing to the eventual champion each time: Nadal, Murray, and Zverev in previous years. Djokovic talked about that challenge again the other day and also on Friday night.

He admitted feeling anxious and appeared agitated by various things like the wind, the ground, or the chair umpire calling him out on time violations and an audible obscenity. Djokovic repeatedly gestured towards his team in the stands, muttering or even shouting.

However, his performance in tennis was exceptional, except for when he lost a game at the beginning of the second set. Nonetheless, he bounced back quickly and won six out of the last seven games.

After the game finished, Djokovic laid flat on his back on the court, stretching out his arms and legs as he savored the opportunity to compete for a gold medal for Serbia in just two days.

The only thing he hasn't achieved yet is winning an Olympic gold medal, but his résumé already boasts an impressive 24 Grand Slam titles and the record for the most weeks spent at No. 1 in the rankings.

Djokovic frequently talks about how important it is for him to play for his country and how he is determined to improve on the bronze medal he won in 2008.

Alcaraz has already won four Grand Slam titles and is almost the same age as Vincent Richards from the United States was when he won the gold in Paris in 1924.

This report was made possible with help from The Associated Press.