When the victory was his, when the gold was his, thanks to one last forehand winner, Djokovic turned toward his team in the stands — sitting in front of his wife and their two children — and dropped his racket as he knelt on the clay. As emotional as ever, he cried and covered his face, then rose and grabbed a red-white-and-blue Serbian flag. After hugs in the stands, Djokovic waved that flag. Alcaraz wept afterward, too.
The final, which lasted 2 hours, 50 minutes despite being decided in only two sets, was a rematch of the Wimbledon title match three weeks ago that Alcaraz won to follow up his French Open title in June.
Alcaraz also defeated Djokovic in last year’s final at the All England Club, but Djokovic won when they met in the semifinals of the 2023 French Open, the annual clay-court tournament held at Roland Garros, the site used for tennis during these Olympics.
Sunday’s contest was an enthralling matchup, featuring one of the best to ever do it in Djokovic, and the best at the moment in Alcaraz. Indeed, could have been frustrating for Djokovic to find himself once again across the net from a younger, speedier version of himself. Maybe that’s why Djokovic frequently looked up and gesticulated and muttered toward his guest box.
Still, he came out on top.
It required long exchanges filled with superb ball-striking at the baseline, deft drop shots — Alcaraz’s tended to be more successful, sometimes so good Djokovic declined to even give chase — and tremendous sprinting, sliding, stretching defense at both ends. They served so well that neither got broken even once: Djokovic saved eight break points, Alcaraz six.
Most remarkable, perhaps, was how cleanly both men played, despite the talent of the opposition and pressure of the occasion. Unforced errors were rare.
The only shame, perhaps, for the fans — and, naturally, the loser — was that the Olympics uses a best-of-three-set format, instead of the best-of-five at Grand Slam tournaments. Make no mistake, this encounter between the No. 1-seeded Djokovic and No. 2-seeded Alcaraz was worthy of a major final, and no one fortunate enough to hold a ticket could complain not getting their money’s worth.
Those in the stands became part of the show, repeatedly breaking out into choruses of “No-le! No-le!” or “Car-los! Car-los!” that often overlapped, creating an operatic fugue. In the second set, as Alcaraz attempted to mount a comeback, his supporters began chanting, “Si, se puede!” (essentially, “Yes, you can!”) while shaking their red-and-yellow flags. Chair umpire Damien Dumusois occasionally reminded folks to remain silent during the action.
Yet it also became as quiet as a theater between points, enough so that play was delayed briefly in the first set when the air thick with anticipation was pierced by a young child’s crying.
Both men played to the crowd. When Alcaraz raced to reach one drop shot and deposit it over the net for a winner, he basked in the raucous reaction by pointing his right index finger to his ear. When Djokovic laced a cross-court forehand winner on the run to cap a 10-shot point to lead 3-2 in the second tiebreaker, he waved both arms overhead to encourage folks who already were on their feet, screaming.
The first set alone lasted more than 1 1/2 hours, chock full of epic shots and epic games. One lasted 18 points spread over more than a dozen mesmerizing minutes, including five break chances for Alcaraz, before Djokovic managed to hold for a 5-4 lead. In the tiebreaker, Djokovic was superior in crunch time, as he so often is, taking the last four points.
