Novak Djokovic won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics just over a week ago, fulfilling one of his greatest dreams. Novak’s career seemed destined to end without the Olympic gold medal, since the Serbian legend had not presented itself in Paris with a great chance of victory.
Carlos Alcaraz was considered the big favourite for winning the red clay that hosts the French Open, but Nole has expressed an exceptional tennis when he needed it most. The 24-time Grand Slam champion impressed everyone with his performance in the final, proving to be one of the best athletes ever. The match between Carlitos and Novak for the gold medal was certainly one of the most beautiful moments of this edition of the Games. The 37-year-old from Belgrade was very excited at the end of the match, burst into tears and ran to hug his family members.
During the press conference, former world number 1 admitted that he is still motivated to continue playing but will focus only on the most important tournaments. The Serbian has chosen to skip the Masters 1000 in Montreal and Cincinnati, preferring to rest until the start of the US Open (where he will have to defend the title won in 2023).
Nole is having fun
Novak Djokovic has redeemed a disappointing start of the season by achieving his grand goal of winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The former world number 1 is enjoying his triumph in Paris and has been spotted on a yacht with some friends in Dubrovnik. The 24-time Grand Slam champion was very relaxed and was drinking champagne before diving into the water. Novak will resume training shortly in view of the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the season, which will take place in New York at the end of August.
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Sun, water, fun 🇭🇷 🌊 @DjokerNole ⛵️ ☀️ 🏊♂️ pic.twitter.com/ZjhePhzjj2
— TRAVEL&Sp🎾rts (@travel__Sports) August 11, 2024
Through his X profile, former American star Andy Roddick paid tribute to Nole and criticized his haters: “The willpower. Cant explain the effort I just witnessed from Nole. GOAT. To get one last chance, tell everyone what your priority is, and the deliver against the current best. Emotional stuff. Lucky to see it. Props.”
He continued: “If you can’t appreciate that, you should just retire from watching sports forever. I don’t care about like, I care about respect. If you’re a fan that is on Twitter ripping on Novak, then you don’t deserve to watch tennis. It’s some loser. You can like someone more, someone else can also be great.
“If that scene doesn’t pull at your heartstrings… I don’t need you to agree with someone’s life decisions to respect greatness when it’s staring you right in the face and to appreciate it meaning something to someone. Simple, that scene was, I haven’t seen him that emotional for a long time.”
Djokovic is still hungry
It will not be easy for Djokovic to stem the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who are much younger than him. The Spanish ace and the Italian ace are the future of tennis, but Novak is not yet ready to give up.
“It’s complete,” Nole said after his triumph in Paris. “I completed all the achievements with this gold medal, but I love this sport. I don’t just play only to win the tournament. I play because I love the competition, training my body, perfecting my game. This sport has given me so much in my life and I try to give back to the sport with dedication and the sacrifice I put on the court when no one else is watching. I do it as hard as any young player out there, so these successes are no accident. I don’t know about the future. I have worked very hard, sacrificed a lot to get to this moment. Now it’s about happiness, joy and celebration.”
The former world number 1 has broken every record in the last 10 years and can be considered as the best tennis player ever. Novak has surpassed Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in almost every statistic, shocking the world with his epic wins.
Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has announced that a museum dedicated to Djokovic will be built. “Palma has a museum dedicated to Rafa Nadal. We will try to highlight and showcase the contributions that Djokovic has made to our country and, at the same time, attract tourists with it” – he stated.
Djokovic will try to win his 25th Grand Slam title in the coming months, perhaps already at the 2024 US Open. The 37-year-old from Belgrade won last year’s New York City tournament by beating Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final.