Hours after he knelt on the red clay and cried with joy, finally able to kiss his Olympic gold medal won for Serbia, Novak Djokovic was asked if he now sees his tennis career as complete.
With 24 Grand Slam trophies already to his name, surpassing rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and holding the record for more than 400 weeks ranked No. 1, Djokovic had achieved a lot.
Now, at 37, he had earned the gold medal he had longed for, which Nadal (in singles in 2008 and doubles in 2016) and Federer (in doubles in 2008) had already won. Djokovic achieved this with a 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) victory over Carlos Alcaraz.
“Yes and no,” Djokovic replied. “Yes, it’s complete, because this gold medal means I’ve achieved everything I wanted. But no, because I love this sport.
I don’t play just to win tournaments—I play because I really enjoy the competition. I love the drive of training, perfecting my game, and proving myself, even at my age.”
It’s probably a mistake to view each of Djokovic’s accomplishments as part of the ongoing debate about which member of the Big Three—Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer—is the greatest. Yet, those discussions continue.
What the future holds for Djokovic, Nadal, Alcaraz, women’s singles gold medalist Zheng Qinwen from China, or No. 1 Iga Swiatek is uncertain. With the U.S. Open starting in three weeks and the need to transition from clay courts at Roland Garros to the hard courts at Flushing Meadows, there isn’t much time for rest or reflection.
“I don’t know about the future, to be honest. I really want … a moment to celebrate,” Djokovic said. “It was a long journey.”
