In his fifth attempt, 37-year-old Novak Djokovic has carried Serbia to their first-ever final in the men’s singles category of the Olympics. The 24-time Grand Slam champion defeated Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinal. This is his first win in an Olympic semifinal since his debut in 2008.
Djokovic’s win in the 2024 Paris Olympics semifinal means he joins the illustrious list of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Andy Murray, and Andre Agassi as the only players in the Open Era to reach the final of all four Grand Slams and the Olympics. The Serbian will face Carlos Alcaraz again in another final of a major tournament just after their clash in the Wimbledon Championships. Will Novak Djokovic leave Paris with a gold medal in his possession?
Novak Djokovic Leaves It Late In The 1st Set
Novak Djokovic has had a very illustrious career. He won his first Grand Slam title in Australia in January of 2008, when he took the tennis world by storm. The Serbian is considered one of the greatest tennis players of all- time. With 98 trophies in a career filled with record-breaking moments, the Olympic gold medal has been the one title that has eluded him. He said this following his victory today:
“I have been waiting for this for almost 20 years. I’ve played four Olympic games; this is my fifth, and I’ve never passed the semi-finals.
“I lost three semi-finals in my first four Olympic games. I managed to overcome this big hurdle. I must be honest and say that I was thinking about all the semi-finals that I lost.”
Novak Djokovic went into the semifinal clash with Lorenzo Musetti off the back of a knee injury scare he got in the quarterfinal clash with Stefanos Tsitsipas on Thursday. The Serbian had expressed concern after the match that he had exacerbated the injury he had sustained and had been nursing since the French Open.
Wearing his grey knee brace, he clashed in a fierce contest with his spirited 22-year-old Italian opponent, who was playing in the form of his life. The first four games of the first set were very intense with the fourth game even having five deuces before Musetti successfully held his serve. In the 10th game of the set and on Musetti’s serve, Novak Djokovic produced three breakpoints and took the first opportunity to win the set.
Djokovic Seals The Win In The 2nd Set
The second set started in as tedious fashion as the first. Both players broke each other’s serves in the first four games of the set before Novak Djokovic ramped up his performance and won the next four games in succession to win the match. He was understandably happy after the match to have a chance at the gold:
“Second set, I started, I was very, very nervous just overall. Before the match, during the match, just so, so nervous. But so glad to overcome this hurdle and secure a medal for my country.”
This clash happened to be the eighth time Djokovic and Musetti were facing each other on the ATP tour. It was also the fourth consecutive win for the Serbian out of seven wins he has enjoyed over his Italian counterpart. The win made Novak Djokovic the oldest men’s player to ever get to the final of an Olympic tournament since 1988. The Sunday final would be between the tournament’s oldest ever and its youngest ever finalist.
If Djokovic succeeds in overcoming Carlos Alcaraz in the final, he’d join an illustrious list of four other players who’ve won all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal, a career “Golden Slam.” The list includes Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal in the men’s category, and Stefanie Graf and Serena Williams in the women’s category. He’d also join Andre Agassi as a career Super Slam holder, having won the ATP World Tour Finals also.
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