Tag: Novak Djokovic

Star Tennis player Novak Djokovic, who made history on Sunday at the Paris Olympics 2024 by defeating Carlos Alcaraz to claim a maiden Olympic gold, opened up on his retirement plans.

The 37-year-old Serb added a much-awaited Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam titles after an enthralling 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) victory in the blockbuster final at Roland Garros.

Novak Djokovic became only the fifth player in the history of the sport to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold, joining Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams.

He also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988.

Speaking at the post-match ceremony, Djokovic was asked about his retirement since the Serb has completed Tennis by completing the “Golden Slam”.

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The 37-year-old, in response, shared that he has no plans to retire any time soon and will participate in the 2028 Olympics, scheduled to be held in Los Angeles.

“Look, I still, I want to play in Los Angeles. I enjoy playing for my country in Olympic Games particularly and Davis Cup. It’s something that, being part of a team…”

“He’s [coach Viktor Troicki] making fun of my calendar goals, playing in Los Angeles. I don’t know if he’s laughing because he thinks it’s unrealistic or he’s like, okay, another four years with this guy.”

Djokovic burst into tears after finally getting his hands on an Olympic Gold and celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on the court before clambering into the players’ box to embrace his wife and children.

“We almost played three hours, the final shot was the only moment when I was sure I could win the match,” said Djokovic, who had lost heavily to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month.

For the unversed, Novak Djokovic now has 99 singles titles alongside 24 Grand Slams to his name amid his decorated career, which puts him past the likes of Roger Federer with 20 Grand Slams and struggling Rafael Nadal with 22.

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Novak Djokovic created history at the Paris Olympics 2024 as he defeated Carlos Alcaraz to claim a maiden Olympic title and become just the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam.

The 37-year-old Serb, competing in his fifth Games, came through 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) in an enthralling final at Roland Garros to add Olympic gold to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs.

The victory allowed him to join Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and the watching Serena Williams as the only players to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic singles gold.

He also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988 and shattered Alcaraz’s bid to add gold to the French Open and Wimbledon titles he has already pocketed this summer.

An emotional Djokovic celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on the court before clambering into the players’ box to embrace his wife and children.

“We almost played three hours, the final shot was the only moment when I was sure I could win the match,” said Djokovic, who had lost heavily to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final last month.

Alcaraz was distraught and wept as he attempted to conduct a TV interview.

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“Three hours, a big battle with tough moments,” said the 21-year-old after a final in which neither player dropped serve. “It’s very painful to lose.”

Novak Djokovic carved out a breakpoint in the second game of the opener and three more in the fourth, all saved by the Spaniard.

Then it was the Serb’s turn to demonstrate his famed powers of resilience, fighting off three break points in the fifth game and another five in a marathon ninth game.

In a rollercoaster duel, Alcaraz saved a set point in the 12th game but his veteran opponent dominated the tiebreak to claim the opener after a breathless 93 minutes on Court Philippe Chatrier.

There was no let-up in the second set, scintillating shot-making alongside rousing defence with Alcaraz fighting off the final’s 14th break point in the third game.

Again the set was decided by a tie-break and it was Djokovic with history on the line again sweeping through to take victory after two hours and 50 minutes.

Lorenzo Musetti defeated Felix Auger-Aliassime in three sets on Saturday to claim the bronze medal, giving Italy its first men’s tennis medal in 100 years.

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Novak Djokovic faces an anxious wait to find out if a knee injury will derail his Olympic gold medal dream after reaching the semi-finals on Thursday as old rival Andy Murray slipped into retirement.

On a dramatic day at Roland Garros, Zheng Qinwen ended Iga Swiatek’s 25-match unbeaten streak in Paris to become the first Chinese player to reach an Olympic singles final.

Defending men’s champion Alexander Zverev was knocked out and took a bitter swipe at the crammed Games schedule.

Djokovic said he was “hoping for the best” after aggravating his injured right knee, which had required surgery in June, during his 6-3, 7-6 (7/3) win over Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.

The 37-year-old needed on-court treatment and a painkiller after slipping on the baseline of Court Philippe Chatrier.

He recovered from 0-4 and then 2-5 down in the second set, saving three set points in the ninth game, before racing away with the tie-break.

The Serb faces Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti on Friday in the last four.

“I’m concerned about the state of the knee. I have to go and examine it with medical staff and then let’s see,” said Djokovic.

“I’m playing at 7:00 pm tomorrow, which gives me slightly more time. But I’m hoping I can be ready and be optimistic. I have to be.”

The 24-time Grand Slam title winner is still looking for a first Olympic gold medal, having so far managed just a bronze in Beijing in 2008.

He is through to his fourth Olympic semi-final.

Musetti stunned Zverev 7-5, 7-5 as the world number 16 became the first Italian to reach the semi-finals since tennis returned to the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Zverev said the illness was partly responsible for his defeat but also blasted the schedule as “a disgrace” after playing his quarter-final less than a day after his last-16 tie.

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Alcaraz, back at Roland Garros where he won a maiden French Open in June, became the youngest Olympic semi-finalist since Novak Djokovic in 2008.

The second seed saw off 13th-ranked Tommy Paul of the United States 6-3, 7-6 (9/7) after recovering from a breakdown in the second set and saving a set point in the tie-break.

“It’s all about the fight,” said Alcaraz, 21, who was playing the day after he and Rafael Nadal suffered a heartbreaking doubles loss in what was probably the veteran’s final appearance at Roland Garros.

Alcaraz will next face Felix Auger-Aliassime, who beat sixth-seeded Casper Ruud, a two-time French Open runner-up, 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 6-3.

Murray’s career came to an end when he and Dan Evans lost to American pair Taylor Fritz and Tommy Paul 6-2, 6-4 in the men’s doubles quarter-finals.

Former world number one and three-time Grand Slam title winner Murray, 37, had already announced that the Olympics would be his last event.

“I’m proud of my career, my achievements and what I put into the sport,” said Murray.

“Obviously it was emotional because it’s the last time I will play a competitive match. But I am genuinely happy just now. I’m happy with how it finished.”

Seventh-ranked Zheng triumphed 6-2, 7-5 over world number one Swiatek and will face Donna Vekic in Saturday’s gold medal match.

Croatia’s Vekic breezed past Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia 6-4, 6-0.

“If you ask me to play another three hours for my country, I would,” said Zheng, who had played back-to-back three-hour matches to make the semi-final.

Swiatek, 23, a four-time French Open champion at Roland Garros, had defeated Zheng in all of their six previous meetings but she was hit off-court by the powerful 21-year-old Australian Open finalist.

Zheng is the first Chinese man or woman to reach an Olympic singles gold medal match, bettering the run of Li Na, who finished fourth in the women’s event at Beijing in 2008.

China’s only Olympics tennis gold came thanks to Li Ting and Sun Tiantian in the women’s doubles at Athens in 2004.

READ: China’s Zheng Qinwen stuns top seed Swiatek in Paris Olympics

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz shrugged off crushing humidity on Wednesday to stay on course for a Paris Olympics gold medal showdown as Zheng Qinwen ended the career of former world number one Angelique Kerber.

Djokovic, seeking a first Olympic title at Roland Garros to add to his record-breaking collection, defeated German left-hander Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3, becoming the first man to reach four singles quarter-finals at the Games.

Carlos Alcaraz brushed aside Roman Safiullin, the Russian playing in Paris as a neutral, 6-4, 6-2 to close in on another showdown with Novak Djokovic.

In the women’s singles, Zheng defeated Kerber 6-7 (4/7), 6-4, 7-6 (8/6) to become only the second Chinese player to reach an Olympic singles semi-final.

The 37-year-old Djokovic has only ever collected a bronze at the Olympics, at Beijing 16 years ago, but he was rarely troubled by his 70th-ranked opponent.

“I’m soaking wet, honestly,” said Djokovic, who has won three of his 24 Grand Slam crowns on Paris’s famous red clay.

“It’s a very, very humid day as it was yesterday. But you have to accept and embrace the conditions and try to make the best out of it.”

Djokovic, who had breezed past old rival Rafael Nadal in the second round, goes on to face 11th-ranked Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Djokovic boasts an 11-2 head-to-head record over Tsitsipas, including a victory from two sets down in the 2021 French Open final.

“I’ve erased it,” said Tsitsipas when asked to recall that heartbreaking defeat.

“I can see he’s motivated for this Olympics but I want to get out on the court and show that I’m a worthy player on the clay courts.”

Despite his confidence, Tsitsipas has not defeated Novak Djokovic for almost five years, with the world number two having claimed the last 10 meetings while French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz has also yet to drop a set in the Paris Olympics and breezed past 66th-ranked Safiullin in 90 minutes.

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Alcaraz broke serve four times and wrapped up victory with his fifth ace of the contest.

“I am really happy with the way I managed everything during the match. The conditions were really tough with the heat and it was really humid,” said Alcaraz.

Up next for Alcaraz is Tommy Paul, the American he defeated in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Paul made the last eight by seeing off Corentin Moutet, whose defeat ended all French interest in the five Olympic tennis events.

Australian Open runner-up Zheng became the first Chinese woman since Li Na in 2008 to reach the singles semi-finals.

Her three-hour victory, in which she unleashed 64 winners, sent 36-year-old former world number one Kerber, a silver medallist at the 2016 Rio Games, into retirement.

“What can I say? I gave everything,” said Kerber, who has slumped to 212 in the world rankings. “I have loved playing tennis. Now I can leave in peace.”

Anna Karolina Schmiedlova is the first Slovakian player to make the Olympics semi-finals since Miloslav Mecir won the men’s singles title at Seoul in 1988.

The 67th-ranked Schmiedlova stunned Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova in straight sets.

Later Wednesday, Iga Swiatek, the four-time French Open champion, can claim a 25th successive win at Roland Garros by making the semi-finals of the Olympics for the first time when she takes on Danielle Collins of the United States.

In the remaining women’s quarter-final Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk faces Wimbledon semi-finalist Donna Vekic of Croatia.

Defending men’s champion Alexander Zverev, the third-seeded German, plays Australia’s Alexei Popyrin while fourth-seeded Daniil Medvedev, also competing as a neutral, faces Canada’s Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Nadal, chasing a third Olympic gold medal, plays for the fifth successive day as he and Alcaraz eye a place in the men’s doubles semi-finals.

The Spaniards face a tricky last-eight tie against fourth seeds Austin Krajicek and Rajeev Ram of the United States.

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Novak Djokovic found his rhythm in the punishing heat to beat Germany’s Dominik Koepfer and reach the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics 2024 on Wednesday, staying on track for an elusive gold.

The Serbian top seed, who crushed Rafael Nadal in the previous round, came through 7-5, 6-3 and will face world number 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the last eight.

“I’m soaking wet, honestly. It’s a very, very humid day as it was yesterday. I just hope it rains so it cools down the temperature a bit and the air.

“But it is what it is. You have to kind of accept and embrace the conditions and it’s the same for you and your opponents so you have to try to make the best out of it.”

The 24-time Grand Slam champion broke Koepfer early but the German world number 70 returned the favour in the next game to get back on serve.

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Novak Djokovic, a three-time French Open champion on the clay courts at Roland Garros, took the first set 7-5 when Koepfer went long to concede another break.

As the sun beat down on Court Philippe Chatrier, Djokovic found his groove, surging into a 3-0 lead to take a grip on the second set, sealing the win with a minimum of fuss.

He has yet to drop a set in three rounds of tennis in Paris.

The 37-year-old, searching for his first trophy in 2024, is still wearing strapping on his right knee after undergoing an operation in June.

He was a bronze medallist on his Olympic debut in 2008 but is targeting gold in Paris to complete his staggering collection of trophies.

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Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal at the Paris Olympics on Monday, claiming a 6-1, 6-4 victory in the pair’s 60th and potentially last meeting.

It was 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic’s 31st win in a rivalry which began on the same Roland Garros clay courts in 2006.

Nadal was largely outclassed in the much-anticipated encounter, only coming briefly to life when he won four games in a row in the second set.

“I’m very relieved,” said Djokovic. “Everything was going my way, I was 6-1, 4-0 up but I played a sloppy service game and gave him chances.”

He added: “I never thought back in 2006 that we’d still be playing each other almost 20 years later.”

In a sign of the wear and tear the pair have endured in recent months, Novak Djokovic wore a protective strapping around his right knee while Rafael Nadal’s right thigh was heavily strapped.

But Djokovic played freely, forcing Nadal to scamper around Court Philippe Chatrier where the Spaniard had collected 14 of his 22 Grand Slam titles.

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The Serb raced to a 4-0 lead, on the back of a double break, and held for 5-0 before Nadal stopped the rot much to the relief of a packed, sweltering crowd.

Djokovic pocketed the one-sided opener when 2008 Olympic gold medallist Nadal ballooned a forehand wide of the mark.

The statistics made grim reading for the 38-year-old who managed to eke out just four points off the Djokovic serve in the first set.

There was no respite for Nadal, playing just his seventh tournament of an injury-plagued season, as Djokovic again carved out a double break for a 4-0 lead in the second set.

Rafael Djokovic, seeking a first Olympic gold medal to add to his 24 Grand Slam triumphs, surprisingly handed Rafael Nadal a lifeline when he served up a double fault to be broken for the first time.

Nadal retrieved the second break to claw his way back from 0-4 to 4-4 as the top seed went suddenly off the boil.

Novak Djokovic responded in style, a drop-shot leaving Nadal flat-footed as the Serb broke for 5-4 on a fourth break point and clinched victory in style with an ace.

Despite his defeat on Monday, Nadal still has hopes of a Paris Olympics gold medal in the men’s doubles where he is playing alongside Carlos Alcaraz.

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Novak Djokovic insists he will return to Wimbledon next year and attempt to clinch an eighth All England Club title despite a shattering straight-sets defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final.

Djokovic saw his hopes of a record-setting 25th Grand Slam title ruthlessly brushed aside by the 21-year-old Spanish star who had also defeated the Serb in last year’s championship match.

Even though the clock is ticking on Djokovic’s career, he said he will keep playing into 2025, when he will turn 38.

“As far as coming back here, I would love to. I don’t have anything else in my thoughts right now that this is my last Wimbledon,” he said after his 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (7/4) loss.

“I don’t have any limitations in my mind. I still want to keep going and play as long as I feel like I can play on this high level.”

So far this season Djokovic has seen his Australian Open title pass to Jannik Sinner, the 22-year-old Italian who has also taken his world number-one ranking.

Alcaraz succeeded him as French Open champion in Paris last month, where Djokovic was forced to withdraw before his quarter-final due to a knee injury which then required surgery.

Djokovic is due to return to the French capital in under two weeks’ time when he will try to win an elusive Olympic Games gold medal.

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After that, he will attempt to defend his US Open title in New York.

“I have intentions to play the Olympic Games, hopefully have a chance to fight for a medal for my country,” he said.

“On a completely different surface (clay) obviously, going back to the place where I got injured some weeks ago. Let’s see how physically and mentally I’m going to feel.”

Despite the upbeat forecast on his future plans, Djokovic is enduring a sub-par year by his standards.

He is without a title since winning the ATP Finals in November last year and has yet to defeat a top-10 opponent in 2024.

On Sunday, he was out-hit by Alcaraz, who clubbed 42 winners to 26 and created 14 break points, five of which he converted.

“To beat these guys (Alcaraz and Sinner) in Grand Slam latter stages or the Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today,” admitted Djokovic.

“I’m going to work on it. It’s not something I haven’t experienced before ever in my life. I’ve had so many different experiences throughout my career. In the face of adversity, normally I rise and I learn and get stronger. That’s what I’m going to do.”

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Novak Djokovic swept past Lorenzo Musetti on Friday to book a second successive Wimbledon final against defending champion Carlos Alcaraz and move one win away from a record-setting 25th Grand Slam title.

Just five weeks after undergoing knee surgery, seven-time Wimbledon champion Djokovic reached his 10th final at the All England Club with a 6-4, 7-6 (7/2), 6-4 win over the Italian 25th seed.

Alcaraz earlier defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (1/7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 to reach a fourth Grand Slam final.

Novak Djokovic, 37, can equal Roger Federer’s record of eight Wimbledon titles and become the tournament’s oldest champion of the modern era if he avenges last year’s dramatic five-set final loss to Carlos Alcaraz.

The last time Novak Djokovic and Musetti met was at the French Open in June when the Serb claimed victory in a third-round tie which ended at 3:07 in the morning.

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On Friday, however, Djokovic was untroubled on his way to a 37th Grand Slam final.

He broke for 4-2 lead in the opener and, despite surrendering the advantage and letting two set points slip in the ninth game, he broke again in the 10th to claim the set.

The second seed was playing in his 49th Grand Slam semi-final while the 22-year-old Musetti was in his first.

That experience was key as Djokovic hit back from losing serve in the opening game of the second set to level in the sixth before dominating the tie-break.

A break in the opening game of the third set launched him on his way to victory against a demoralised Musetti, who at least had the consolation of saving three match points before Novak Djokovic completed his progress to yet another Wimbledon final.

READ: Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz into Wimbledon final

Lorenzo Musetti reached his first Grand Slam semi-final at Wimbledon on Wednesday with a five-set victory over Taylor Fritz, setting up a clash with seven-time champion Novak Djokovic.

Italian 25th seed Musetti triumphed 3-6, 7-6 (7/5), 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 against the 13th-seeded American.

Djokovic was earlier handed a free pass into a 13th Wimbledon semi-final when Alex de Minaur withdrew from their scheduled last-eight tie with a hip injury.

“I probably played my best tennis at the end today,” said Musetti.

Djokovic has a 5-1 winning record over 22-year-old Musetti, including a come-from-behind five-set victory at the French Open last month.

Lorenzo Musetti also took Novak Djokovic the distance in their first meeting at Roland Garros in 2021, when the Italian won the opening two sets of their last-16 tie before injury scuppered his hopes in the decider.

“Djokovic knows the stadiums here better than me,” said Musetti.

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“He’s a legend everywhere and has done unthinkable things. We’ve played lots of times and I expect a huge fight.

“It’s the toughest challenge in tennis but I am an ambitious guy and I like to be challenged. I will give 100 percent.”

On Wednesday, Musetti came back from dropping the first set for the third time at Wimbledon this year after Fritz broke in the fourth game.

The Italian, who plays with a one-handed backhand, levelled on a fourth set point in the second set tie-break and was dominant in the third, breaking the American in the first and fifth games.

Fritz had come back from two sets down to knock out Alexander Zverev in the last 16 but showed no sign of immediately wilting, levelling the contest in the fourth set.

However, Lorenzo Musetti was undaunted, sweeping into a 5-0 lead in the decider on his way to victory.

READ: Novak Djokovic into Wimbledon semi-finals due to Alex de Minaur injury

Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon semi-finals on Wednesday when Alex de Minaur withdrew from their last-eight clash with a hip injury.

Australian ninth seed De Minaur suffered the injury in his fourth-round win over Arthur Fils, which he later confirmed during a press conference on Wednesday.

“I am devastated to pull out due to a hip injury,” said the 25-year-old. “It’s no secret that this would have been the biggest match of my career but it’s a unique injury.”

“I woke up this morning wanting to feel some sort of miracle, but there was a high risk of making the injury worse if I stepped on the court.

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“One stretch, one slide could take this from a three to six weeks’ injury to four months out.”

Consequently, the seven-time Wimbledon champion qualified for the semi-final of the event. Novak Djokovic will be playing in his 13th Wimbledon semi-final and 49th at the Grand Slams.

He will face either Taylor Fritz of the United States or Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti for a place in Sunday’s championship match.

In the second semi-final, defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will be facing Daniil Medvedev on Friday.

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