Djokovic beats Alcaraz – Olympic tennis men's singles gold medal match – as it happened

The brand new Olympic champion has given his response to an “unimaginable” efficiency and match.

“[It was] an unimaginable battle and battle. When the final shot went previous him, it was the one second I believed I might win the match,” mentioned Djokovic.

“I imply I believed I might win, however to truly win it… To win Olympic gold at 37, I lastly did it. Most of all, it’s my nation.

“The satisfaction of taking part in for Serbia. I do know Carlos [Alcaraz] and Rafa [Nadal] like to play for Spain, Andy [Murray] likes to play for Nice Britain. Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. Alex Zverev received at Tokyo for Germany.

“You noticed the reactions of all these guys once they win; it’s one thing particular.

“It was honest to complete each units on a tie break. We each had our possibilities to interrupt however when it mattered, we each got here up with some huge serves and performs.

“I put my coronary heart, my soul, my physique, my household, all the things on the road.”

He has finished it! Novak Djokovic is the boys’s singles Olympic champion!

The 37-year-old has turn out to be simply the fifth participant in historical past to finish the Golden Slam and is the oldest gold medal winner within the males’s singles.

The Serbian drops his racquet, shakes Alcaraz’ hand and falls to his knees in tears following a last whipped forehand that the Spaniard might get nowhere close to.

You’ll be able to see his palms and arms shaking with emotion earlier than he raises the Serbian flag to the Roland-Garros crowd. Unbelievable scenes.

Djokovic brings down the roof with a ridiculous cross-court forehand to revive his mini-break.

That may very well be the shot of the match and that actually is saying one thing.

And Djokovic takes a mini-break, which may very well be price its weight in gold ultimately.

He then holds, despite shouts from the gang as he is getting ready for a second serve. Nerveless.

Djokovic will not be messing about and stands tall within the face of a possible set loss, getting his personal love-hold to take this match to a tie-break.

Alcaraz pulls off his second hold-to-love of the match and ensures himself a minimum of a tie-break.

And the sample continues: Alcaraz made to work on his serve, and Djokovic holding comfortably.

Nicely, that’s in the event you think about successful a sport with out going to deuce as ‘snug’.

Alcaraz fails to return a Djokovic smash at 40-30 and certainly this set goes to a different tie-break.

However Alcaraz’ focus returns for what looks as if it will likely be one other snug maintain, his second in a row.

In reality, there has hardly been a snug level on this match, not to mention a sport. Djokovic rallies from 0-40 to deuce, extremely.

A mammoth rally feels set to go on endlessly, till Alcaraz performs his trump with a drop shot and thoroughly evades his opponent on the return. He wraps up the maintain with an unbeatable smash.

A reminder that there’s but to be a full break of serve on this match.

It’s Alcaraz’ flip to point out his frustration after lacking the possibility for a break level.

And the feelings get the higher of him when Djokovic pulls forward from deuce, hanging the dusty clay together with his racquet.

A free backhand from the Spaniard feels far too informal at this stage within the match and he is aware of it.

Now Djokovic misses a volley uncharacteristically and he has just a few intense phrases together with his coach as Alcaraz lastly finds a simple maintain.

The Serb actually was not on the races for that sport.

Djokovic reveals off all his powers of survival to defend an onslaught from Alcaraz and the teen is much too informal together with his volley because the Serb comfortably holds as soon as extra.

As if to show the purpose beneath, Alcaraz once more sees his serve go to deuce however not earlier than he wows the Roland-Garros crowd with an inexplicable hook shot.

Shock, shock, there’s nonetheless no break as Alcaraz hangs on to carry.

No bother for Djokovic who tallies one other love-hold.

The Serb appeared to make onerous work out of his serves within the first set, however it’s Alcaraz who can not discover a relaxation on his serve within the second.

Oof. One other errant forehand flies effectively previous the baseline from Alcaraz, however the Spaniard follows that up with the direct antithesis of an errant forehand to take it to deuce.

His fiery serve is just too scorching for Djokovic to deal with and up goes a roar of “VAMOS!” from the teen.

Ultimately there’s a break from the drama of deuce and Djokovic wraps up his second love-hold of the match. The Serb is watching his opponent like a hawk when he appears like he has time, and albeit even when he does not.

Alcaraz goes a technique and Djokovic performs the ball straight down the opposite.

There is a nervy second for Djokovic, who loses his footing on the Roland-Garros clay and for a second you marvel if his knee can take one other gruelling set.

In distinction, Alcaraz reveals his youthful exuberance to get a maintain on the board, opting to play a drop shot on the volley when the smash was ripe for the selecting.

For what feels just like the umpteenth time on this match, the sport goes to deuce and the server finally ends up holding.

It is no shock to see the tie-break comply with the identical sample as the remainder of the set, which has gone previous the 1:30 hour mark by the best way.

Six consecutive holds and the sample is damaged when Djokovic squeezes in an outstanding forehand return on the road.

He holds his serve within the subsequent two factors and reads Alcaraz’ drop shot to perfection, reaching it simply in time to ship the ball into a spot that even the Spaniard can not attain.

Simply the 95 minutes for that first set.

The Serb is one away from the Golden Slam.

Even Djokovic is applauding now.

Particularly, the Serb reveals his appreciation for Alcaraz’ stupendous return within the face of a wondrous cross-court backhand. The Spaniard follows that up with an irretrievable drop shot.

Djokovic brings it again to 30-30 – the fourth sport in a row the pair have discovered themselves at this scoreline.

And as Alcaraz will get benefit by forcing Djokovic huge, the veteran merely shrugs his shoulders. What extra can he do?

Alcaraz can not discover a break within the first set.

A Djokovic serve-volley helps him to 40-30 and the Serb manages to achieve a drop shot however leaves area behind uncovered. Alcaraz makes an attempt to lob his opponent however his effort falls simply lengthy.

Alcaraz’ serve involves the fore as soon as extra and whereas Djokovic places a modicum of stress on the Spaniard, the teen wraps up the sport with an unreachable forehand down the road.

The fabled break of serve is in Alcaraz sights at 30-0. Predictably, it isn’t that simple for the Spaniard as Djokovic brings it again to 30-30.

Unbelievable defence from Alcaraz sees the Serb discover the web together with his smash, however Djokovic doesn’t make the identical mistake twice after digging out a ridiculous drop.

The 21-year-old permits himself an expressive double fist clench celebration after successful the most recent in a sequence of astounding rallies to get a second break level. However the sport is much from received.

After 5 break factors, sure 5, Djokovic ultimately beneficial properties the higher hand, and, on the second time of asking, converts his benefit.

There actually isn’t any time nor area to get throughout the ridiculousness of every level. Relaxation assured, that is tennis from the gods.

What a sport and what a match we’re witnessing proper now.

Alcaraz produces his personal love-hold to get again on stage phrases and as we get nearer to the tip of the primary set, you may really feel the strain mount on each level.

Djokovic replies with a love-hold.

Halfway by, Alcaraz lets out a roar to the sky as his slide for a forehand goes awry.

The way in which this match goes, any break of serve could be absolute gold mud.

After two blockbuster epics, Alcaraz serves up a simple maintain to quieten issues down.

A devastating cross-court forehand the decide of the photographs from the Spaniard.

Djokovic is transferring his opponent relentlessly throughout the court docket, however Alcaraz retains arising with the solutions. Once more, we go to deuce and the 37-year-old appears to slide uncomfortably on his knee.

Nothing mistaken with it as he serve-volleys to rescue yet one more break level, although. Alcaraz will get three in complete however cannot recover from the road.

The standard of tennis on present is solely unimaginable by the best way.

Unbelievable. Alcaraz is displaying some sloppiness together with his forehand at the beginning of the sport and Djokovic punishes it to get pleasure from a minimum of three break factors – three break factors which he squanders.

Alcaraz roars again from 0-40 and slams the primary ace of the match to go from nowhere to benefit. One excellent drop shot later and Alcaraz rescues a significant maintain.

Ouch, that has received to sting the Serb.

Djokovic inexplicably misses his smash and there’s the primary signal of some frustration emanating from him as Alcaraz goes 30-0 up.

Nevertheless, that is the final level the Spaniard wins within the sport and Djokovic can breathe once more.

Alcaraz’ huge serve actually is one thing to behold. In consecutive factors, Djokovic can do little greater than attain and return earlier than the 21-year-old locations it effortlessly to the opposite aspect.

Regardless of this, Djokovic in some way forces deuce and Alcaraz subsequently finds the web. At break level, the Spaniard pulls out an audacious drop shot and as soon as once more his serve is just too robust for the 37-year-old.

Djokovic provides a drop shot of his personal however it’s finally in useless as Alcaraz lastly wraps up his first maintain. It was removed from simple, although.

Djokovic attracts first blood with a snug maintain. Nicely, pretty snug.

At 40-0 down, Alcaraz counters his opponent’s drop shot with considered one of his personal and the Serb goes lengthy on the following level. The Spaniard cannot return a searing serve although and Djokovic takes the lead.

Carlos Alcaraz wins the toss and opts to obtain first.

Whichever method this last goes, new entries within the historical past books beckon. Djokovic will turn out to be simply the fifth singles participant, male or feminine, to finish the profession Golden Slam – Steffi Graff, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams are the one people to have received all 4 Grand Slams plus Olympic gold.

Alcaraz, in the meantime, can turn out to be the second man to win the French Open, Wimbledon and Olympic Video games in the identical calendar 12 months, after fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

By the way, we may also see the oldest AND youngest males to contest an Olympic males’s singles last in historical past as we speak.

This actually is a mouth-watering match in prospect. The pair have met six instances beforehand with three wins apiece, although the Spaniard has the sting when it comes to finals. Djokovic was crushed within the final two Wimbledon finals by Alcaraz, their newest assembly ending 6-2 6-2 7-6(4).

However on the clay of Roland-Garros, the Serb got here out on prime within the French Open semi-final again in 2023. This will probably be each gamers’ first Olympic last. Djokovic already has a bronze medal underneath his belt from Beijing 2008, whereas his opponent has secured a medal on his Olympic debut.

Hey and welcome to our LIVE updates from the boys’s singles Olympic gold medal match between Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic of Serbia.

The gamers are set to take to Court docket Philippe Chatrier on the conclusion of the ladies’s bronze medal match, which has simply been received by Spanish pair Cristina Bucsa and Sara Tormo Sorribes. Promising portents for compatriot Alcaraz?