Novak Djokovic is the most decorated Tennis player of all time. With a record 24 Grand Slams to his name, the Serbian is often referred to as the G.O.A.T., by many Tennis enthusiasts around the world. But there is one peak the 37-year-old has never graced in his storied career as of yet. And that is the Olympic Gold.
In his 4 Olympic appearances to date, Novak Djokovic has only won a single Olympic Medal. That too was a Bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, over 16 years ago. Djokovic defeated the American Tennis Player, James Blake in the Bronze medal matchup to win Serbia’s first Olympic medal in Tennis. Ever since, Novak Djokovic has had heartbreak after heartbreak when it comes to the biggest sporting stage of them all, the Olympics.
Now 37, the former world no. 1 will be playing in most possibly his last Olympic Games in Paris. And this time around he will be more than determined to add to his medal tally at the Summer Games, preferably with a Gold Medal to his name. But it won’t be so easy. In fact, there is a high chance that the greatest ever might fall short, yet again.
About 6 weeks ago, Novak Djokovic suffered a torn meniscus injury in the knee which forced him to withdraw from the Roland Garros Quarterfinals. The injury came at the most inappropriate time for Novak with Wimbledon a few weeks away and the Olympics in July. But in typical Novak fashion, the Serbian recovered in time for Wimbledon and went on to play in the Finals against a familiar foe Carlos Alcaraz.
Now with the Wimbledon-Final loss behind him, Djokovic is all set to make his return on clay, the same surface that gave him the torn meniscus injury. For the first time in 30 years, Tennis in the Olympics will be played on the clay courts of Roland Garros. And unfortunately for Djokovic, the competition standing in front of him is immense.
Twice he has lost to Juan Martin Del Porto in the Olympics and once to Zverev. Three shocking losses for a player of his level and calibre. This time around, he’ll have to go through the likes of Carlos Alcaraz, the French Open and Wimbledon winner of 2024, and Yannick Sinner, the current World No.1, Daniil Medvedev and other top contenders.
Chances seem bleak for Novak. But if there’s one thing he excels in, is making gold out of that 1%. Can he do that in Paris for the first time in his Olympic career? That remains to be seen. It might just be the most uphill task in his long career.
