Sachin Tendulkar can’t keep calm after Novak Djokovic wins gold at Paris Olympics, ‘serves’ key Carlos Alcaraz analysis
Novak Djokovic completed tennis on Sunday after adding the elusive Olympic gold to his all-time great career.
The Serb battled past his rival Carlos Alcaraz with a vintage display to win 7-6(3) 7-6(2) and complete his career Golden Slam in spectacular fashion, not dropping a set in six matches at Roland Garros in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
With the win, he became the oldest man to win to finish top of the podium at the Games since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and achieved it less than a month after being thrashed in straight sets at the Wimbledon final by Alcaraz.
Former Inia cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has always been an avid follower of the game of tennis, and following Djokovic’s memorable and emotional win on Court Philippe Chatrier, he not only dropped a congratulatory post for the 37-year-old, but also made his piece of analysis on where Djokovic managed to outclass Alcaraz in the final and where the Spaniard could still improve on his game.
He tweeted: “Well done, @DjokerNole, on winning the gold medal at #Paris2024.@carlosalcaraz put up a strong fight and obviously has a bright future ahead, but Djokovic had an ace up his sleeve whenever he was serving. That was the key to his success today, in my opinion. Alcaraz has what it takes, but to truly dominate for years on all surfaces, he’ll need to step up his serve!”
The gold medal at the Olympics was his only missing puzzle in his illustrious career. Having made his debut at the Games in 2008, when he won the bronze medal, Djokovic suffered a shocking round-one exit in the 2016 Rio Olympics and finished fourth in both London and Tokyo. However, in a season where Djokovic has struggled to win a single trophy, the Olympic gold in Paris helped him become the fifth player – after Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams — to complete the ‘Golden Slam’ of winning all four majors and an Olympic gold medal in singles.
“Everything [about this is special], but most of all it is my country,” said Djokovic. “It’s my pride to play for Serbia. I know Carlos and Rafa [Nadal], they love to play for Spain. Andy [Murray] loved to play for Great Britain. Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. Alex Zverev won in Tokyo for Germany. You saw the reactions of all these guys when they win. It’s something special.”