Novak Djokovic showed his class with what he told Carlos Alcaraz at the net having triumphed at the Paris Olympics.
Carlos Alcaraz has revealed what Novak Djokovic told him after their instant classic Olympic final. The Spaniard lost 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in a repeat of the Wimbledon final he won.
Carlos Alcaraz was given a reassuring message by Novak Djokovic
There were emotional scenes post-match, with both men breaking into tears on separate occasions. For Djokovic, it was years of pent-up emotion being released, having finally claimed gold in his fifth Games to add to his bronze at Beijing 2008.
But while it would’ve been easy to have been caught up in his own achievement, the Serbian, 37, made sure to give his 21-year-old opponent his flowers for claiming silver in his first Olympics, making a touching seven-word comment.
In his post-match press conference, Alcaraz detailed: “He told me that, ‘I will win Olympic gold one day’. We are going to work for that. I’m sure my time will come.”
He admitted he simply couldn’t match the hunger of Djokovic, whose primary goal for 2024 was completing the career golden slam. “His tears at the end of the match reflect the desire he had for this moment to come and he deserves it because he has played very well,” Alcaraz continued.
“Today I had a Novak Djokovic in front of me who wanted to win the gold more than I did. At certain times he played better tennis and deserved the victory.”
Alcaraz cut an emotional figure after missing out on gold on his Olympics debut
As for his own tears, he explained they were as a result of the frustration of coming up short in two tiebreaks. However, four-time major winner Alcaraz holds no regrets when it comes to his performance.
He added: “Those tears were because I felt that I didn’t achieve the goal of all Spaniards, but winning an Olympic medal is never easy and that is why I am also proud. It was a difficult moment to manage because I wanted more, I wanted the gold, but I am proud. In the end, I tried everything and I fought until the last ball.”
Alcaraz also cited the weight of expectation from his nation as a potential contributing factor to his less-than-best showing. He won’t have long to wait to bounce back, heading to the Cincinnati Open later this week.
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