©vogue
He won everything, broke all records, collected trophies and money for several lifetimes, but the greatest success and the biggest emotion of his formidable career Novak Djokovic owes them to a gold medal, an Olympic charm worth less than 1,000 euros. Neither millions, nor ATP points, just a prestigious triumph for him and for his country, the one he was missing and that he was waiting for after four bitter failures.
Dream and passion
We are tempted to say that it is only money that counts in professional sport. And God knows if it's true. The trajectories are printed in dollars or euros. 99 times out of 100, the pay slip, which can be huge, determines where we work, without qualms. We don't play anymore, we do the job. At the same time, deep within every true champion, there is a passion, a childhood dream that endures. How else can we explain that Ronaldo, Modric, Nadal, Djokovic, and before them Federer, continue to hurt themselves, day after day, to remain competitive at an age where others have put away their utensils for a long time? The Olympic Games are one of those legendary competitions which, when we were very young, nourished our imagination and made us madly love sport. This is also true for tennis, even if it only reappeared on the Games program late and if, at home, Elise Mertens still preferred the American tournaments on hard court to the Parisian party on clay. “I admit that as a child, I dreamed of the Grand Slam, especially Roland Garros, not a gold medal,” recalls Justine Henin, evoking the unforgettable memory of Athens 2004. “At the same time, watching the Olympic Games on TV, it's an experience that I wanted to live, I actually chose to stay in the Village with all the other athletes and I didn't regret it. It was a real discovery. We have the impression of surfing on a gigantic and fascinating energy that we must use but without letting ourselves be overwhelmed, it is a challenge in itself. You also need a little luck, I know that within one or two points I was out in the semi-final against Myskina (remember that she was down 1-5 in the third set, editor's note), and we no longer spoke never in my Olympic Games, I'm sure that quite a few people turned off their TV when I was so far behind. The scenario helping, it's a memory that easily appears in the Top 3 of victories and strong emotions of my career, in the middle of a season rotten by a (cytomegalo)virus. I don't carry my medal everywhere, but I happily show it to people who know what it represents. »
National hero
In Paris, Novak Djokovic chose to stay at a hotel. The excitement of the Olympic Village had not been successful in the past. It must be said that on three occasions he had failed in the semi-finals, in 2008 in Beijing against Nadal (with bronze as a consolation prize), in 2012 in London against Murray, and in 2021 in Tokyo against Zverev. In 2016 in Rio, he was even eliminated in the first round by Juan Martin Del Potro. He had cried about it. For someone who has accumulated so many trophies or money (we are talking about €500 million before taxes, editor's note), but was not born with a golden spoon in his mouth and experienced, as a teenager, the NATO bombings of Belgrade , putting on the Serbian jersey, defending the colors of your country, has always represented something special. Whether in the Davis Cup or the Olympic Games, two competitions where you earn little money and no ATP points. The fact that he often felt alone and misunderstood in a world more benevolent towards Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal, while at home they supported him through thick and thin, further strengthened his patriotic feeling, belonging to the nation, and his status as a national hero. “I want every Serb to know that this medal belongs to them, it belongs to all of us,” he said. It is not for nothing that the “best ambassador of his country” will soon have his own museum in Belgrade. “Mallorca has a Rafael Nadal museum. We will make sure to show what Novak Djokovic has done for Serbia, while attracting tourists,” decreed the Serbian president. “I wish him this gold medal, this Olympic title from the bottom of my heart,” summarized his former coach Goran Ivanisevic at the start of the year, “Novak always gives the feeling of owing it to someone, while he owes nothing to anyone. »
Olympic spirit
If, from the moment professionals found their place, tennis logically took its place in an ever-expanding Olympic sports panel, and if the stars of the racket understood the prestigious value of an Olympic medal , it has not yet become a star and charismatic sport of the Games, like athletics or swimming. We saw it clearly this year. Who knows the journey of the Chinese Zheng, 7th in the world, to the final and the Olympic title? Only the stars created the buzz. Nadal, Alcaraz, Djokovic. And if a page of sporting history was finally written it is because the final pitted the last two cities against each other, in a remake of Wimbledon 2023/24, with a reversed verdict compared to the London turf and an imperial Serbian putting the The final touch to a breathtaking track record. All between two champions honoring the Olympic spirit to the end of the racket and shedding their tears, of indescribable happiness or infinite sadness. “I have hurt all the Spaniards,” collapsed the young Hidalgo, who will nevertheless still have the opportunity to win others, trinkets like this. Even though it was played in two sets, it was also a final worthy of the most memorable in a Grand Slam. We can also wonder if they didn't pay it every two three weeks later at the US Open. Even Pep Guardiola shared a vibrant tribute: “I have no words. What Djokovic achieved against Alcaraz is incredible. His mentality is truly impressive. » This breathtaking final lasted almost three hours, neither of the two champions gave up their serve, distributing the racquet blows, even the most subtle, like sending uppercuts, the title was therefore decided on two tie-breaks, managed by the Serbian with phenomenal determination and composure.
Unrivaled
In the stands of the Philippe Chatrier court, the inscription, in large red ocher letters, is visible to all, “Victory belongs to the most stubborn”, a quote attributed to the aviator Roland Garros, who died in combat during the First World War and which gave its name to the Parisian stadium. It seems written for Novak Djokovic (or Rafael Nadal), a monster of perseverance and tenacity at 37 years old. During his clear defeat in the Wimbledon final against Alcaraz, when he was coming out of rehabilitation (meniscus injury), we could have had the feeling of a transfer of power. During these Paris Games, which he had set as his first objective, he provided clear answers, always in two sets – he did not lose any. In the event of failure, Novak Djokovic had already ticked the next 2028 Games on his agenda. Now that he's won everything, he's not sure he'll give it up. “I still want to go to Los Angeles,” he said. After all, the oldest Olympic tennis champion in over a century would then be “only” 41 years old. “At the London Olympics, I thought I experienced the most beautiful emotion possible when I was the flag bearer for my country,” he recalled. “But this is beyond what I could have imagined. This is the most important success of my entire career. I have always said that representing Serbia is my greatest honor. Coming back on that court, playing incredible tennis, at 37 years old, against a 21 year old, probably the best in the world right now, seeing the Serbian flag go up, singing the anthem, wearing the medal around your neck , it's unparalleled. »
Hungry Djokovic therefore won the only trophy he was missing, he is now the only one to have won Olympic gold, the four Grand Slams, all the Masters 1000, the Masters, the Davis Cup and the ATP Cup, record holder for titles in Grand Slam and Masters 1000. We can guess that in his quest for eternity the Serbian was famously under pressure when approaching this final. We remember that this indomitable man, who faced and overcame everything in his sporting life, had broken down – an extremely rare occurrence – under the weight of history against Medvedev at the US Open when he could achieve the Grand Slam on the 2021 season and join Rod Laver in legend. An opportunity that will probably never arise again with Alcaraz and Sinner in the field of vision. As always, he learned his lessons, and it was once again Carlos Alcaraz, for the first time on the losing side in a grand final, who spoke about it best: “I had a Djokovic in front of me very impressive in difficult moments, on decisive points, a hungry Novak, he was on the way to gold, he had it in mind, he didn't let me take my chance. I tried everything and gave everything until the last ball, I'm proud of that. In terms of numbers, he's the greatest, he's achieved pretty much everything he's set out to do. » Objectives which are also his, even if he says he is tackling “an inaccessible mountain”. The height of which he was able to measure even better, but when you already have four major titles in your bag at 21 you have the right to dream.
