Rarely, if even, have I seen both men cry after a tennis match.
In Paris, on August 4th at the august Stade Roland Garros, 21 year old Carlos Alcaraz cried because he let his country down in his first battle for Olympic Gold. 37 year old Novak Djokovic wept as well, because he had finally won Olympic Gold in his 5th—and arguably last best chance of doing so. As Djokovic confided to his young opponent at the net, Carlito will have many chances to capture this most elusive of tennis prizes. Think of it: because the Olympics come but once every four years, you have less of an opportunity to win it than any major and—for many players—including Djokovic, winning it is more meaningful. As someone who has been following tennis since long before the Open era, I remember when the brash Djokovic burst on the scene, complete with comedic imitations of other players—as well as more than occasionally succumbing to injuries (feigned or otherwise). Amidst exclamations of “No Djoke,” it was clear to fans and foes alike that the young Djokovic would become a force to be reckoned with. That said, at the time no one could imagine that he would ever catch up to Nadal, let alone Federer. And now, as a grizzled almost 38-year old man with flecks of gray in his black crew-cut, he found himself facing a 21 year-old who has made a far more auspicious start than even his own. Indeed, for someone to have four majors under his belt at age 21, Alcaraz is already a certain Hall of Famer, and someone who could possibly join the magic circle of the all-time greats who have amassed 20 or more Grand Slam Championships. That, of course, remains to be seen in the very great future awaiting Alcaraz. As for the present, let’s look at what was at stake. Both men were playing for their first Olympic Gold Medal. This, of course, was Alcaraz’s first Olympics, and probably Djokovic’s last. They were both the youngest and oldest men, respectively, to ever compete for the Olympic Gold Medal. People who have won career grand slams (at least one for each major) are few and far between. Even rarer are those who can add a Gold Medal at the Olympics to their resume. Before Djokovic’s upset of Alcaraz,* only five players had ever achieved what is called “The Golden Slam,” i.e. a career in which they won at least one of each major plus the Olympic Gold Medal. Not even all-time greats such as Sampras or Federer have done so. With his victory on August 4th, Djokovic joined Raphael Nadal, Serena Williams, and (husband and wife team) Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. Speaking of Nadal, he and Djokovic had met in the second round for their 60th time in the longest and greatest rivalry in men’s tennis. A win by Nadal would have found them dead even at 30 wins each. Sadly for Nadal fans, it was not to be. Despite a late burst of the old brilliance on the court on which he had reigned for so long, this likely final meeting was all Djokovic. I couldn’t help but wonder in watching what may well have been the great Raphael Nadal’s “last hurrah,” if that might be the upcoming fate of Novak Djokovic if he reached the final against the amazing Carlos Alcaraz.
As it turned out, both Alcaraz and Djokovic arrived at the finals without having dropped a single set. This, in itself, is an extraordinary achievement, given the high level of competition. Some believe that the two out of three set format makes the Olympics less significant (at least for the men) than the majors. While true in a way, as both commentators Mary Carrillo and Renee Stubbs observed, there is less margin for error in a two out of three match. Coming back from a one-set loss in a 3 out of 5 set match is easier than facing an elimination set after dropping the first of 2 out of 3. Regardless of the format, it was what it was, and the first player to reach two sets would bring home the gold.
The servers held throughout the first set. In game 4, Alcaraz went down went down 0-40, only to come back and win the game. That was the first, but not the last, time in which I wondered if Djokovic had squandered his “last, best chance.” Thereafter, the two traded holds until squared at 4-4. After trailing love-30, Djokovic, with the help of a forehand winner, evened the score at 30-all, only to give Carlito a break point on a net cord which carried Nole’s shot wide. Djokovic played a great point to square things and deuce, only to have Alcaraz go up break point again on one of his many fabulous drop shots. Twice again Djokovic would even things at deuce until Alcaraz got his 5th break point on what Mary Carrillo called “a Djokovician” backhand winner. And indeed it was. Carlito slid into an open stance backhand and hit the kind of shot I thought only Nole could do. The Joker made it back to deuce and finally, on his second ad point— thanks to a brilliant stop volley and service winner— held for 5-4. The game had lasted 14 1/2 minutes—as long as some (admittedly fast) sets. This marathon game—longer than some sets—struck me as the turning point of the match. This sense was reinforced when, serving at 5-6, 30-30, Alcaraz netted a volley. Djokovic had set-point. But the intrepid Alcaraz went on to hold, and I wondered once again, if that would turn out to be Nole’s “last best chance.” The tiebreaker began as a nail-biter. Alcaraz dropped the first point, giving Djokovic a “mini-break,” but got it back on the 3rd point. At 2-2, Djokovic pulled Alcaraz wide on a sensational inside out forehand which Alcaraz got back but Djokovic covered for a beautiful volley winner—no mean feat against an opponent who runs (almost) everything down. Alcaraz induced a net return off a strong serve to tie it 3-3. That, surprisingly, was all she wrote. Djokovic stepped in on a second serve, took the ball on the rise and crushed a short angle forehand winner which took the wind out of Alcaraz’s sails. At 4-3 , Djokovic watched Alcaraz’s first service return sail long as did his second. Suddenly, it was 6-3 Djokovic. Alcaraz tried his patented drop shot. off a Djokovic return, which Djokovic returned deep to the young Spaniard’s forehand. Alcaraz hit a beautiful cross-court forehand which Djokovic—amazingly—reached on a lunging stab volley winner. An amazing end to an amazingly tight first set.
The second set began with an Alcaraz hold, showing that whatever frustrations he felt about the first set results could be put behind him. Game 2 was a strong hold by Djokovic, with two forehand winners and a dominant serve, which spared him from having to endure the grinding rallies where all but the most perfect of shots came right back. To me, that was to be the critical difference. Game 3 could have been a turning point, since Djokovic had a break point, but Alcaraz hit an insane inside-out forehand so wide that it could not be touched. Djokovic won handily in game 4 to even the set at 2-all. The Serb found himself in a 15-30 lead only to see Alcaraz not only reach his excellent drop shot, but return it at an absurd angle to even the game which he would go on to win. Djokovic then squared the set at 3 games apiece, with another strong service game thanks, in part, to Carlos surprisingly netting an easy volley. Alcaraz won the so-called “all important seventh game” with a solid hold. In the 8th game, Nole hit an inside out forehand so far to Carlito’s left that it would have been an outright winner against virtually everyone on the tour,. Instead, the shot came back and it was point Alcaraz. Unphased, Djokovic came back with a service winner, and ultimately tied the score at 4-4 with yet another service winner. The 9th game was a terrific one, featuring an astonishing rally ending with an Alcaraz stop volley, only to be followed by an exchange at such a high level by both players that only an Alcaraz error induced by Djokovic ended it. There was a long and exhausting rally at deuce replete with what should have been a backhand winner for Djokovic down the line only to have it (once again) come right back. It is interesting to note that Djokovic, a man possessed of the greatest backhand in the history of tennis, could not get a single backhand winner against the fleet young Spaniard. The trouble with writing about such a match is that one runs out of superlatives to describe what we were witnessing. Suffice to say that no two people on earth could have put together point after point at such a high level. With Alcaraz one game away from winning the set, Djokovic’s need to hold serve was imperative. At this point, I can only share the exchange between the two commentators, each of whom had played on the women’s professional tour. After Mary Carrillo said that Djokovic clearly wanted to win in straight sets bit—if he didn’t— she favored “the kid,” Renee Stubbs countered by saying that Djokovic would “literally almost die in order to win.” It was a tight game, but—thanks to Djokovic’s service winners, it never got to deuce. The service percentage by both players had reached a level rarely seen. Djokovic was serving at 88% on his first serve (winning 86%of the points), and Alcaraz was serving at a not too shabby 80%. At 5-5, Alcaraz held at love, leaving Djokovic a “must” hold in order to force a tie-breaker. Djokovic questioned the call after the lines-person called his first serve out, a call sustained by the umpire. The Djoker approached the net net to remonstrate with the umpire, only to have the gracious Alcaraz concede that the serve (a let cord) had caught the service line. Djokovic went on to hold at love to force what seemed to be the inevitable breaker.
It began on the Spaniard’s serve, with the Serb winning the first point on an unbelievable forehand winner that a sprinting Alcaraz could not even get his racquet on. On his own first serve, Nole was tuned in and played a great defensive point with a great lob to go up 2-0 on an Alcaraz error. Carlito erased the mini-break off Novak”s serve with a steady, focused rally inducing a shot by his opponent with traveled long. Alcaraz won his second point with a great wide serve to the ad court followed by a forehand winner down the opposite line to even the tie-breaker at 2-2. I don’t think anyone would have imagined that this was the last point the young Spaniard would get, but the “lockdown” mode the Djokovic is so famous for in tiebreaks was even more in evidence here than in the first set. A great side-to-side rally ending in an incredible cross-court forehand winner by the Joker made it 3-2. and another great forehand by the Serb enabled him to rush net and put away an overhead to give him a 4-2 lead. A deflated Alcaraz netted a non-forcing shot to make it 5-2, and Djokovic clearly had his eye on the finish line. With Alcaraz serving, the Spaniard netted another return to make it 2-6, with four Gold Medal points in the Serb’s favor. On Alcaraz’s final serve, Djokovic hit a backhand to Carlos and pounced on the Spaniard’s return to hit a match-ending forehand winner Djokovic fell to his feet and all but tasted of the red clay the way he munches on the Wimbledon grass. A fitting entry in the still expanding resume of the Greatest of All Time.
What made the difference? In a match featuring two of the world’s best court coverers, long points could go either way, and shots which would have been winners against virtually everyone else, not only came back, but did so with authority. The only thing that could be said is that Alcaraz goes for more and, as a result, has both more winners and errors. (At one point in the second set, the commentators pointed out that Alcaraz had 22 unforced errors and 24 forced errors versus The Joker’s 16 unforced and 15 forced. A fifteen error swing between two so evenly matched players can—and indeed, did—make the difference.) Djokovic is more patient in waiting for opportunities that sometimes never come, but ultimately that strategic approach turned out to make the difference, especially in the tie-breakers in which Djokovic’s controlled aggression is at its most effective. Amazingly, Djokovic had no backhand winners in this match. Given that this is his— and the game’s— best shot, this is a remarkable tribute to the speed and confidence with which Alcaraz plays.
Djokovic began his Olympic quest in a year in which he had not won a single title. From a dramatic standpoint, he clearly saved his best for last. It’s hard to say that the upcoming U.S. Open and ATP Masters Finals will be anti-climactic, but for the moment, Nole’s career has hit its zenith and—by his own words—this was his most significant victory. When, at the Passover Seder, Jews cite the many miracles visited upon them by the almighty, they recite after each holy blessing the word “dayenu.” Freely translated, it means “it would have been enough.” And so I say to the undisputed G.O.A.T., who may not count Hebrew among the many languages he has mastered, dayenu, Nole, dayenu. But perhaps the best words were those of the eponymous Roland Garros inscribed on the walls of Court Philippe Chattrier, “Victory Belongs to the Most Tenacious.” On this momentous day for Novak Djokovic, no words could have been more apt. And, just for the record, Novak Djokovic has said he wants to defend his Olympic Gold Medal in the 2028 Olympics on Los Angeles. You know what? With this guy, anything is possible.
*The odds-maker had Alcaraz at -250, with Djokovic at +195. Those with the faith to bet on the Joker were handsomely rewarded at almost twice the money they put at risk. For what it’s worth, I never bet on sports. I do this both as a matter of principle in preserving the purity of my fandom, and as a matter of principal in not wanting to lose the money.
