Novak Djokovic has completed tennis. The only empty space in his trophy cabinet – the one waiting for an Olympic gold medal – has now been filled, after a phenomenal near-three hour battle with his young rival Carlos Alcaraz.
There were no breaks of serve in this 7-6, 7-6 victory, but the quality of tennis and drama reached rare heights, particularly when Alcaraz made a strong push towards the end of the first set.
Djokovic was on the back foot against a more explosive opponent, but he fell back on his courtcraft. Even when his shots weren’t as good as Alcaraz’s, his decision-making was far sharper, and his nerve held strong on the biggest points.
He was visibly emotional after claiming a prize he had been seeking since he took bronze in the Olympic singles event of 2008. After clinching victory with a forehand winner, he knelt down on the court for an extended moment, and then pulled a Serbian flag out of his bag and roared as waved it to his fans.
Alcaraz was emotional as well, breaking down in tears as he gave a post-match interview at the side of the court. Seldom has a man played as well in defeat as Alcaraz did here, striking more than 40 clean winners in just two sets. But Alcaraz is 21 and his time will come again.
