Novak Djokovic was only headed to one place after vanquishing his Olympic demons, addressing his fellow Serbians at the Games. 09: 58, Mon, Aug 5, 2024 | UPDATED: 09: 58, Mon, Aug 5, 2024
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After his official media duties, Novak Djokovic gave one last speech (Image: Getty)
Novak Djokovic celebrated his gold medal in the Olympic Village as promised – giving a rousing speech to the Serbian squad. The tennis world No.1 finally completed the career golden slam on Sunday with victory over Carlos Alcaraz.
He avenged his Wimbledon defeat to the Spaniard, triumphing 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) at Roland-Garros. Djokovic, 37, vowed to hold his very own party with his compatriots in their section of the Village if he won.
And he delivered on that vow, spending the evening leading the festivities. In one clip shared by a Serbian athlete, he could be seen performing a traditional dance with their flag draped around his shoulders.
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Later in the night, Djokovic addressed those in attendance. He said: “You put me in charge, I will never forget this. If I hadn’t won a medal, I would have continued to fight.
“I want this to be a pelzer (motivational moment) for you. This is my fifth Games, I’m 37 years old, I’ve never played a final until now, and I want you to believe that nothing is impossible. To be the best version of yourself every day, not only in competitions.”
Djokovic then joked that he wouldn’t drag out his rallying cry any longer, being met with applause from the crowd. He had only a bronze from Beijing 2008 to his name heading into Paris 2024.
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But Djokovic has now become just the fifth singles player to win all four majors and the Olympics, joining elite company with Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
He hadn’t been staying in the Olympic Village for the duration of the tournament, explaining beforehand: “I simply wanted to have more privacy, more peace and somehow focus on my routine and preparation for the tournament, which is of course the highest priority.”
But he wanted to reunite with his fellow competitors afterwards. Serbia have one other medal so far in France, a gold in the mixed 10-metre air pistol team event won by Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec.
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