Novak Djokovic Reflects on Winning First Olympic Gold at Paris 2024: “Greatest Emotion of My Career”
Novak Djokovic finished the year on a positive note by winning his first-ever Olympic gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics, despite his early exit at the US Open 2024.
After heartbreakingly losing several Olympic Games in the past, the Serbian tennis player at last emerged victorious on the biggest sporting platform in the world.
It’s possible that Novak Djokovic experienced an unexpected early exit at the just finished US Open 2024 in New York. Despite this, Djokovic will have a happy ending to 2024 after winning his first Olympic gold medal in Paris. He previously lost to Andy Murray in London 2012 and Rafael Nadal in the Beijing 2008 semifinals. In the meanwhile, he lost against Alexander ZVerev in Tokyo 2020 and Juan Martin del Potro in Rio 2016.
“The main reason is the fact that I had the opportunity to represent Serbia again in a world sporting event, the most important,” Djokovic stated in an interview with RTS. The second reason is my experience competing in the Olympics; I lost to Rafael Nadal in the Beijing semifinals, followed by two more semifinals and the struggles for third place. These were some of my worst career setbacks.”
“Only every four years do the Olympics take place. I am 37 years old, underwent knee surgery, and came into this edition having not won a single trophy in the previous season. Nevertheless, I defeated a player who had just defeated me at Wimbledon. It’s unique because of all of this. It’s difficult to put into words the best feeling I’ve experienced in my work.
“My primary objective was the Olympics. After my knee injury at Roland Garros, I was really concerned. However, I was relieved to play in the Wimbledon final because I knew I would be ready for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. In comparison to other sports, tennis is not the traditional Olympic sport. I’ve always followed the Olympics, particularly the athletes from Serbia, but after seeing them compete for the first time, I truly began to understand their significance. “This is something I will always remember,” he continued.
Djokovic fell to Alexei Popyrin of Australia in the third round of the US Open, 6-4 6-4 2-6 6-4. Furthermore, it was Djokovic’s first Grand Slam loss since the 2017 Australian Open.
