Novak Djokovic has advanced to his first Olympic final, arranging a repeat of the recent Wimbledon final against Carlos Alcaraz.
Djokovic triumphed over the impressive Italian player Lorenzo Musetti, prevailing with a score of 6-4 6-2. This victory has alleviated any apprehensions regarding his knee injury, which he underwent surgery for not long ago.
The Serbian player had been unsuccessful in his three previous Olympic semi-finals. In an interview, Djokovic admitted feeling stressed before the match, stating, “It was a highly tense match, filled with emotions. There was a great deal of expectation and pressure on me to secure a medal for my country.”
He further expressed his excitement about reaching his first Olympics final, saying, “I am absolutely thrilled. Of course, my ultimate goal is to win the gold in a few days’ time. I will give my best effort to achieve that. However, even at this stage, reaching the final is a tremendous accomplishment for me, especially considering the circumstances. I felt extremely nervous today, especially because I have lost three out of four Olympic semi-finals throughout my career. So, overcoming this obstacle was truly important to me.”
In the final on Sunday, Djokovic will face Carlos Alcaraz, who dominated his semi-final against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, only losing two games.
The upcoming match will be a rematch of the recent Wimbledon final, where Alcaraz emerged as the victor over Djokovic in straight sets to successfully defend his title.
Djokovic has expressed that he views the Spaniard at Roland Garros as the ultimate challenge in tennis. “Both of us will appreciate having a day off tomorrow without a match. He has played numerous matches in both singles and doubles. As for me, at my age, I am truly grateful for a day of rest to rejuvenate my body and prepare for Sunday.”
“This will undoubtedly be the biggest challenge I currently face, playing against him on this court. He triumphed at Roland-Garros just a month ago on this very same court. Although we have played here once before, I defeated him in the semi-finals but lost to him comfortably in the Wimbledon final.”
The 24-time Grand Slam champion went on to say, “It’s a different surface… I feel that I am playing and moving better than I did at Wimbledon, so hopefully, I will come out and showcase my best tennis. In a way, I have nothing to lose as I have already secured a medal, so I am going to give it my all.”
