2024 Paris Olympics Day 9: Djokovic v Alcaraz In Gold Medal Showdown; Zheng Strikes Gold

I had the impression, that they will play best of 5 in the final!
Best of 3 might help Nole in this case.

Nole idemooo!

August 4th, 2024 at 4:38 am

This is Nole’s last olympics in all probability so it should be fitting for him to win the gold for the first and last time in his career. Go Nole!!!

August 4th, 2024 at 8:15 am

So much tension in this match… a battle of generations.

August 4th, 2024 at 9:02 am

Not actually watching the tennis, the Olympic coverage has been very sparse, only seeing live scores, looks like Novak will get the elusive gold after all

August 4th, 2024 at 10:47 am

Calling it now.. Nole in 2 tiebreaks.. Proving once and for all that he is the greatest player of the current generation. Carlos will have atleast 2 more chances to win the gold. This has been a nail biting match so far. Just a little bit better for Nole.

August 4th, 2024 at 10:53 am

Well, he got his dying wish! Lol

August 4th, 2024 at 11:05 am

Congrats Novak, he had to do it this year….

August 4th, 2024 at 11:05 am

Nole’s Goldean Year: 2024!🥇 In Paris, on clay…. UNBELIEVABLE

Thank you Nole and Carlos for this awesome final!

August 4th, 2024 at 11:09 am

Never ever pray for someone to lose! God is too good to fulfill evil wishes. Prey for your fav, pray for the win, pray for good wishes, but never pray for bad things to happen to anyone!

Good lesson for everyone.

Respect players! They went through too much to get where they are or even get a chance to play this wonderful sport.

We are here because of them.

Hatred – not allowed!

And in the end, GOAT officially. Case closed.

No hard feelings. He deserved it if anyone ever did.

August 4th, 2024 at 11:18 am

We are open for congratulations next 24 hours.

By winning 🥇 medal Nole is the only player that has won every single big title, 72 and still going.

What to say, he is simply Serbinator.

August 4th, 2024 at 11:27 am

^^^…….and since becoming #1 in 2011 no single top 10 player has positive H2H against him and he has positive H2H against all major rivals including latest two, Alcaraz and Sinner.

August 4th, 2024 at 11:30 am

VP,
Congratulations to your fav well done. The serbians’ superb serve won him the day. Well deserved moment for him.

August 4th, 2024 at 12:43 pm

I am so, so happy for Novak. Oh my goodness to see his joy. It’s just fantastic.

Wogboy, fake fan – none of us bow to you or your comments. You are just here for the ride. You betrayed Novak in the worst moments of his career. You are only here when he wins.

For the true Novak fans, I am so, so happy for you.

All the best to the true Serbian fans.

Fantastic Novak.

August 4th, 2024 at 1:32 pm

This was a classic match. Carlos didn’t lose it. Novak won it. I got a 500 bet in with Novak, 215 under. Not expecting a win, but believing in Djokovic to be able to play on level that could possibly beat Carlos even with the Spaniard playing well.
That happened.
The bet of course in a trivial thing.
While Djokovic’s big checkoff remaining on his tennis bucket list is complete, I don’t think he feels he is done, nothing left to prove. Because God, genetics, his talent and hard work and support of others have made him exceptional. He may have years left of top play and beating top 10 opponents should he stay and if “playing this out” has family support. Along the way, Sinner&Alcaraz and maybe a couple others will “beat him in H2H” which WB alluded to.
But if a few days like today, along moments still possible like beating Rafa in their 60th match at RG – why stop???

August 4th, 2024 at 1:59 pm

“ All the best to the true Serbian fans.”

Thank you madmax, it’s nice to see that some Federer fan can accept reality 🥇

August 4th, 2024 at 6:47 pm

CF1, it’s inevitable that down the line Alcaraz and Sinner will end up with positive h2h , they are on different stage in their careers, but Nole is doing at the age of 37 is unseen.

August 4th, 2024 at 6:49 pm

Skeezer,

Thank you.🙂
Carlos looked much fresher, but Nole won this match tacticaly, I would say.

August 5th, 2024 at 1:30 am

“…. but Nole won this match tactical….”

You can’t be more right VP, masterfully planned and executed, it took him while to get used and click with his new coach…….himself😉

August 5th, 2024 at 2:05 am

People seem to have forgotten there was a ladies gold medal winner, she never got so much as a mention, congratulations to Zheng on her Olympic gold medal 🏅

August 5th, 2024 at 8:28 am

Other tennis medals and the players were significantly overshadowed by the two men playing for gold.
The magnitude of Djokovic’s accomplishment. The bath the oddsmakers took. The war between the brilliant players going 3 hours.

Woman’s match was – run of the mill. 6-2, 6-3. Good for the sport, though, as the Chinese market will boost ratings and revenue..

Of some significance is Musetti getting Italy’s 1st mens medal, and Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani getting Italy’s 1st tennis gold. It gave Errani, 37 like Djokovic, a Golden Career Slam in doubles.

August 5th, 2024 at 12:28 pm

I do no tknow if there was a thread about it: Andy Murray also said officially Good Bye to tennis!
He was sweet and had some strong words of support for Nole before the final. ❤️

August 5th, 2024 at 1:16 pm

Exclusively personal opinion, I am speaking only for myself. Serbia messed up Djokovic for long, as if he owed anything to the nation. Had it not for Serbia, he would have achieved even more. It is the Serbian pressure that lost him Tokyo Olympic and eventually Calendar Grand Slam, for the 2nd time and later the 3rd time. That is how I feel. I believe, without the pressure of the nation of Serbia and its people, Djokovic would have won 2 calender slams.

I am not sure if Serbia and Serbians had anything to do anything with what he has become. Serbia and Serbians hardly have any investment in him, close to zero in the grand scheme of things.

When I started posting here in 2007 (you can verify this from the site owner) and began a crusade in Djokovic’s support, almost as a one-man-army type of supporter, I was ridiculed by everyone, as if I had lost my mind, in an era when the rest of the world was content with what they were getting from Roger and Rafa. It was not easy to be Djokovic fan in those days when I didn’t see any Serbians coming out in his support, let alone in droves, neither here nor any sites I visited.

I find it funny when Serbians try to cash on his success, make Olympic Gold bigger than what ATP/ ITF has ever ranked it to be, less than a Masters tournament points.

The Olympic has been a fodder for nationalists across the world to fortify their empty egos.

However, despite all the things I said above, it must feel good for Djokovic at 37 to beat 16-year younger, the face of the next generation when the Spaniard was desperate to, in his 1st attempt as the youngest ever, to win Olympic Gold in tennis.

Djokovic not only denied a record, he made one, not for the Russian-loving Serians but for the tennis-loving world fans. He lifted tennis, in its global popularity, a few notches above the previous era. Coming from a humble background, he has become the ultimate source of inspiration for millions of athletes and sports fans across the world. He epitomized that hard work pays off. And a great player can be an ordinary human, too, with plenty of vulnerabilities. He does not have to be perfect; he does not have to be Da Vinci’s Vitruvian man. That is what makes him the Greatest.
What else can you ask from an athlete?

Big congrats to Djoko, tennis is always blessed with what you have given the world. Congrats to you for ensuring that your image will inspire many generations of young talents. Keep delivering as long as you can keep smiling on the court.

August 5th, 2024 at 1:27 pm

@SGreen,
What is your background, where di you live, very important before I replay to these nonsense (understatement) you wrote, trust me, Nole would use much harder words if he is to read it?!

August 5th, 2024 at 2:41 pm

“…he made one, not for the Russian-loving Serians but for the tennis-loving world fans…”

Is this what is behind your writing?!

August 5th, 2024 at 3:15 pm

Well, Novak has won everything. Instead of listing his achievements about which we are all very well versed, the big question for me is “what remains to be achieved”?

I am working on the assumption that Novak will play in 2025 and that 2025 will be his final year. I don’t know that either of this are true but those are my assumptions.

To my mind the the big neon flashing sign that demands attention is one more Wimbeldon. That is the one record of value that Roger still holds and Novak is one Wimbeldon away from matching Roger.

Sure, he could try to win Monte Carlo again (and one other I can’t remember now) to then have won all the Masters titles at least three times instead of at least twice as is the case currently. But why bother? No other man has won all the Masters titles once, let alone twice or thrice. Novak already stands head and shoulders above them all, would more make much difference?

No. The glaring hole in his incredible resume was Olympic Gold and that is now behind him. The only thing I can see of any remaining interest in terms of records is his eighth Wimbeldon.

In my opinion, all tournaments leading up to Wimbeldon 2025 will be chosen based on maintaining match play fitness and being well placed in the seedings, but none of them will of themselves be important. They will only matter in how they increase his chances in taking Wimbeldon number 8.

August 5th, 2024 at 7:17 pm

I am starting to think that he might be able to defend USO, with a little bit of luck, long shot but nevertheless possible after I’ve seen his physically superb Olympic final and for USO fitness is very important, at USO I see Sinner as the favourite and then Alcaraz, though it’s possible that this loss might affect him bit longer, like Cincinnati did last year.

August 5th, 2024 at 7:37 pm

BIG NEWS UP FRONT, then a few nickpicks:

Djokovic said today that he plans for and truly hopes he will be able to play on and defend his Olympic title in 4 years in Los Angeles, when he is 41.

————————–
SGreen – “make Olympic Gold bigger than what ATP/ ITF has ever ranked it to be, less than a Masters tournament points?”

In case you haven’t noticed, the players themselves value a Olympic gold, maybe even a silver – above a Masters in some place like Miami. ATP dropped the points in a snit with the IOC for refusing to compensate the ATP for loss in revenue from existing tournaments.

——————–
Big Titles now – Djokovic 72 a title every 3.1 times he goes to Big Event Tournament. Nadal 59 with one title every 3.5 times 2/3rds on clay, Federer 54 once every 4.4 visits. Next Sampras at 30 big titles.
———————–
Total titles Djokovic 99, Federer 103, Connors 109.

August 5th, 2024 at 8:35 pm

“Djokovic said today that he plans for and truly hopes he will be able to play on and defend his Olympic title in 4 years in Los Angeles, when he is 41.”

Ohh no, he really doesn’t care about mental and heart health of his followers 😢

August 5th, 2024 at 8:50 pm

I can’t see a 41 year old playing men’s singles tennis at the highest levels. I can understand that in the euphoria of this wonderful moment Novak is feeling enthused but there’s just no way.

I’m sticking to what I said earlier, I’m thinking 2025 will be his retirement year.

August 5th, 2024 at 9:03 pm

At the end of the day Jelena will decide 😉

August 5th, 2024 at 9:13 pm

I agree with zed. Nole said that in the heat of the moment of course. The achievement is so huge and so sweet, that he forgot the efforts, which he invested in the Olympics. But had he not saved those 6 Breakpoints at the end of 1st set, we would have perhaps another Golden Medalist. It is not like he crushed his opponent, an opponent who will learn from that and I am sure he will get stronger….plus there are another contenders.

We shall see how he will feel in a few weeks, when this adrenaline is completely gone. It would be great, if he wins another GS, but that will not be easy …and yes, he will need also a bit of luck. And we know that Nole is not the player to rely on luck. :D

I really enjoy, what he achieved on Sunday and for me it is really enough. :)

August 6th, 2024 at 2:14 am

Chrisford 1,
To your objection, “In case you haven’t noticed, the players themselves value a Olympic gold, maybe even a silver,”
Whatever I said was on the basis of the following:
Players like John Boland, Laurence Doherty, Beals Wright, Josiah Ritchie, Major Ritchie, Arthur Gore, André Gobert, Charles Winslow, Louis Raymond, Vincent Richards, Miloslav Mečíř, Marc Rosset all won Gold, but they are never considered top 10 or 20 best players in the history of tennis.
If players of all eras had valued Olympic as a barometer to assess greatness, they could have forced ITF/ ATP to negotiate with IOC. Between 1900-1924 and between 1988-2024, how many other greats, the greatest of their respective eras participated in Olympic and won a Gold? If these players had valued Olympic so much, they would have won all, and the list of the Gold winners would look entirely different.
And under the big titles, ATP as an official entity of Association of Tennis Professionals, has a good reason to rank Olympic as the 4th big after Grand Slam, WTF Year-End Championship, and Masters. This, too, is comparatively new, done only in the last decade or so. But different players can have different preferences based on their emotional connection to a particular event. It is similar to choosing Roger and Rafa over Djokovic on the basis of stylistics, public persona, and other intangible variables, not on the basis of objective numbers. Similar logic is applied in my assessment of Olympic tennis. Yes, Olympic could be a tiebreaker if all other numbers were equal to claim the GOAT status.
I am not trying to convince anyone here, just expressing my opinion. I respect others’ differing opinions, including yours Chrisford.
https://www.atptour.com/en/news/djokovic-olympics-2024-big-titles-kings

August 6th, 2024 at 3:25 am

Rafa has TWO Gold medals, singles and doubles. Just saying!

August 6th, 2024 at 4:59 am

Regarding to what SGreen writes: Novak Djokovic inherited a lot of the Serbian spirit, if we can say that, and from this point of view he owes some of his success to Serbia.

I am Romanian and I am very proud when I see that Nadia Comaneci is admired by the whole world. But I don’t think that Nadia Comaneci owes everything to Romania! Everything she did, was for herself first, which is normal. Her talent and the desire to succeed helped her. But this is already something personal and not national. The fact that she became an example for the next generations makes me proud of her, but Nadia Comaneci belongs to the whole world now, not only to Romania.

There are sports in which medals represent the greatest of success: gymnastics, swimming, athletics, etc.
Actually, in tennis, things are a little different, but despite all that, I think that the Gold Medal, symbolically, represents a huge success. Nole wanted the gold and I’m glad he got it for himself first, then for his country.

And I always loved Nole for himself, and not because he was a Serbian, even if I do like Serbs.

August 6th, 2024 at 5:12 am

because, at the end of the day…Nadia Comaneci won the Gold Medal, and not me or the president of Romania :D

August 6th, 2024 at 5:25 am

Marian Vajda sent nice congratulations:

vajdamarian
Nolito! The mission is completed!

After so many years of sailing you reach the shore!!! The long-term effort resulted in an Olympic gold medal on your neck!!🥇🚀

Outstanding achievment so proud of You! I fell in tears when you nailed the last stunnig F winner!!!🥇❤️💪🏻👌🏻

Congrats to your family and all the members of your team!
@djokernole @jelenadjokovicndf @gebhardgritsch @viktortroicki
View all 340 comments

August 6th, 2024 at 6:47 am

Who tf is Marian Vajda? Isn’t he the one who deserted the faker???

August 6th, 2024 at 6:54 am

264,375 likes
djokernole
I could never give up on the dream of winning this gold medal, just as the people of Serbia have never given up on me. Together, we believed in the impossible. While I may be the one holding this medal, I want every Serbian to know that it belongs to all of us.

Representing our nation is the greatest honor in the world. This medal, these moments, this life—none of it would have been possible without your unwavering support. This is because of you. This is for you.

Hvala vam ❤️

Love, Nole

August 6th, 2024 at 9:04 am

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1820826624419340540?t=hOw6952vjB45xpMHfNhmFg&s=08

Congrats from Elon!😉

August 6th, 2024 at 11:11 am

Nole confirmed, he is playing Shanghai, I don’t know about Beijing, but if he is in China he might as well play it, or he wants to keep he Beijing record intact, never lost a match at China Open wining it six times?

August 6th, 2024 at 8:38 pm

Good one, only for my “friends” on TX:

https://youtube.com/shorts/Yr2DS65S_QY?si=kj00kS5mDTZQaUF1

August 6th, 2024 at 11:23 pm

Carry on being an Arsehole BOG Boy! It suits you. Lol

August 7th, 2024 at 5:22 am

There’s no way Novak stops playing any time soon unless injuries stop him. Not a chance. He wants more titles than Federer and match wins. He also wants Connors records. He is going to be playing amazing again in the next stretch. And he definitely wants at least 8 Wimbledon titles if not 9. And 5 US Opens to at least tie that record. There’s still records that he wants to break.

August 7th, 2024 at 8:11 am

Gisele, here is another one for you:

https://youtu.be/LivieVzDnfQ?si=4_5BRDYgmrzfK5SM

Have a GOOOOD NIGHT

August 7th, 2024 at 8:57 am

More than records. Djokovic LIKES his job and plans on keeping going as long as he is competitive, “not losing in the 1st, 2nd rounds”. He’s far from that.
4 years is a long time.
Record stats say he has won no ATP titles, but he is regularly making QFs, finals and semis. So he is not where Andy and Rafa were going into Paris barely there after age and injury removed those two from top echelons.
For the most part, there are no more “amazing records!” to break aside from who one more at some event (Rafa at Barcelona and RG) and improbable records like Fed’s 23 straight Slam semis streaks.

That means he is 37, a vegan, a stubborn bastard walking his own road, making his own story and destiny. I think he has years left at the top, near the top. Idemo, Nole! At this point, even his long-time detractors think the 2028 Olympics cannot be ruled out. So now they are starting to call NOvak the “old vulture stealing money and livelihood from nicer, better, younger players….” etc.

August 7th, 2024 at 9:05 am

Also,

His movement will recover once he’s fully recovered from the surgery. Even at 41 without another knee surgery he will be moving better than he has been recently. An example of just how much he hasn’t recovered his movement yet is the first tie break on the second point of the tiebreak. His movement was terrible in that point. Also, I’ve never seen a player in my life who has had so many love 40 games that he hasn’t broken serve in. It drives me crazy.lol. One thing about Alcaraz is at times I think he depends too much on his movement. I feel like Djokovic not having his Normal movement helped him in a way. It simplified things. He had no choice but to hit high quality ground strokes and not play passive.

August 7th, 2024 at 9:12 am

Really perceptive, Dave.
One of the sick things about Djokovic is he has these killer shots in his arsenal but with his mobility and weird body-reading or knowing a foes shots anticipation he has – he used those weapons less and less as a percentage shot.
After the Olympics, I saw the Djokovic of 17 years ago on video play Federer and beat him in tiebreaks. It was the Canadian Open and when I became a committed fan. 17 years!
He had a whipping forehand, could paint lines, had a beginning of a backhand down the line, and had that angled crosscourt forehand that helped him win against Carlos last Sunday beginning. The video is fascinating to see given his development.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euhCjO65CH0.

If his speed and agility decrease with age, his knee. He has those shots he may be able to return to – as he isn’t gonna outrun Carlos and a couple younger guys even being a speedy for a 38, 39 year old!

I also think his family will accept some “lost quality time”
and not push Novak to quit. To let his destiny play out.

*********************
Small plus to Djokovic – Serbia gave him a 200,000 Euro prize and Djokovic designated it to all go to local Serbian charities. .

August 7th, 2024 at 10:25 am

Tennis is over, congratulations Novak, but there’s many more amazing sports on at the Olympics, just curious to know if anyone is watching anything else now 😏

August 7th, 2024 at 12:31 pm

@Alison, There’s lots to choose from in the Olympics, I’ve been watching a lot of basketball and volleyball, they’re fun and fast team sports, but I’ve also peeked at a whole array of other sports at random, including wrestling, table tennis, sailing, shooting and boxing, just to see what they’re like at elite levels. For some reason, this year, I’ve avoided swimming, athletics and gymnastics – I saw a lot of that at the 2012 Olympics, and after going deaf watching Mo Farrah’s triumph, it’s all deja vue.

Two events really surprised me – I didn’t expect to enjoy them, but I was enthralled: the Men’s Road Race (cycling) – I watched almost all of it, the first and last couple of hours – here was a chance to follow the race and see the Parisian countryside, the greenery, the parks, the chateaux, Montmartre, Paris streets and monuments … well worth watching if you’re subscribed to Discovery+.

The second category was the Equestrian dressage and jumping events:- the real stars were the horses, of course. Here in UK, when you go to the races, you put your money on a horse, not the rider. And yet, at the Olympics, it’s the rider who gets a medal, not the horse, which is rather unfair! These equestrian events were the athletics and artistic gymnastics for the horses, and they were wonderful, graceful, powerful and beautiful, all of them. And suddenly, Federer comes to mind …. :-)

August 7th, 2024 at 9:09 pm

Tennispompom I must admit I do miss Mo Farrar, Phelps, Usain Bolt, so these sports, I do enjoy the dressage but don’t like the middle class snobbery that goes with it, I enjoy the sports with a skill rather than just been about speed, love taekwondo, artistic gymnastics, artistic swimming, sailing, just any of the sports with a skill, Simon Biles was amazing, have a good day 😀

August 8th, 2024 at 12:59 pm