奥运网球男单金牌争夺战之后的花絮

[Smartguy]

老德盛赞阿卡。

阿卡第一次参加奥运就拿了银牌，已经相当不错了。

Novak Djokovic's Carlos Alcaraz comments speak volumes after emotional Olympics gold win
Novak Djokovic spoke candidly about Carlos Alcaraz after winning the Olympics gold medal match.
By Jack McEachen
16:45, Sun, Aug 4, 2024 | UPDATED: 17:08, Sun, Aug 4, 2024

Novak Djokovic hailed Carlos Alcaraz as his biggest competitor after defeating the reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion to claim the first Olympics gold medal of his career.

The Serbian star was full of praise for Alcaraz, after coming out on top during two tiebreaks at Roland Garros before collapsing to the floor in emotional scenes.

Djokovic then gave an on-court interview where he credited his opponent for his never-say-die attitude which has continued to push him to such a high level at the age of 37.

“We almost played three hours in just two sets," Djokovic said. "An incredible battle and fight. When the last shot went past him, it was the only moment I thought I could win the match. I mean I believed I could win, but to actually win it.

“[Alcaraz] keeps on coming back, he keeps on asking me to play my best tennis. I thought the first set I started well. I had chances, he had chances as well. It was fair to finish both sets on a tiebreak. We both had our chances to break but when it mattered, we both came up with some big serves and plays. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, everything on the line.

“To win Olympic gold at 37, I finally did it. Most of all, it’s my country. The pride of playing for Serbia. I know Carlos and Rafa [Nadal] love to play for Spain, Andy [Murray] loves to play for Great Britain. Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. Alex Zverev won at Tokyo for Germany. You saw the reactions of all these guys when they win; it’s something special.

“This is now my fifth Olympic Games. Three out of four I played semi-finals and never managed to overcome that hurdle for some reason. When I entered the court for the semi-finals against [Lorenzo] Musetti I was thinking about and said ‘let’s get through this one’.

"That’s why at the beginning of this match I was not as nervous as I had secured a medal but of course I was going for gold. It was intense on the court and I wanted to give it my best. I think the fact I qualified for the final already helped.”

Even though a third and deciding set was not required, Alcaraz took Djokovic to a tiebreaker in both sets, a tough battle which saw the 24-time Grand Slam champion edge the Spaniard en route to an emotional victory.

A gold medal was all that had eluded Djokovic in his illustrious career, winning every Major title and securing a 99th career singles title win.

And the new gold medalist was in no mood to play down how much winning meant to him and his country, breaking down in tears after securing victory.

After winning every possible accolade in tennis, Djokovic decided to remain coy when asked if he had now 'completed the puzzle' of his sport.

“I don’t know," he added. "I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling right now. Feeling different emotions. Too proud. Too happy. Thrilled with the possibility of winning a gold for the first time in my career for my country. Arguably the biggest success I had.

"I won probably everything there is to win in my individual career. Winning Davis Cup and particularly a golden medal at age 37 for Serbia is unprecedented. I’m just starting my celebration. I can’t wait for what’s coming up in the next 48 hours.”

[Smartguy]

阿卡解释他为何赛后也流泪了，并一度停止采访。

年仅21岁，就背靠背夺取法网温网，4次大满贯决赛全胜，本因有更大胜算获取奥运冠军。

其实这可能是人生中必经的一条路，一个经验，老德熬了20年，第五次奥运才圆梦，阿卡还很年轻，四年后会更老练成熟。

Carlos Alcaraz makes heartbreaking admission over why he cried after Olympics final loss
Carlos Alcaraz lost to Novak Djokovic in the gold medal match at the Olympics.
By Yasmin Syed
17:53, Sun, Aug 4, 2024 | UPDATED: 18:46, Sun, Aug 4, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz made a heartbreaking confession as he explained why he was in floods of tears after losing the Olympics gold medal match to Novak Djokovic.

The 21-year-old went 0/8 on break points and ultimately lost in two close sets 7-6(3) 7-6(2). Immediately after the match, he started crying and had to stop a TV interview so he could gather himself.

After the match, Alcaraz addressed his emotional reaction and shared his disappointment.

"I thought that I let all the Spanish people down a little bit, in some way," the world No. 3 admitted. "I know that most of the Spanish people were waiting for my gold medal. And myself as well, I worked for it, I went for it [and] it couldn’t happen so that’s why I got emotional at the end because I couldn’t make all the Spanish people proud."

But less than two hours after his defeat, Alcaraz was already feeling better. He added: "But thinking about that moment, it was really close at the end of the match. I couldn’t think [about] the things clearly and that’s why I got emotional at the end. But I’m right now thinking, I’m going to say more relaxed. I think I made them proud, I made them believe in a certain way. And I’m proud about the way I represented my flag."

The gold medal match marked the first big final that Alcaraz lost in his career. He is four out of four in Grand Slam finals, including two wins against Djokovic at Wimbledon. And he admitted that he was feeling the pressure at the Paris Games.

"It’s a little bit different," he said of the Grand Slam matches compared to Sunday's Olympics final. "I mean, I was playing for the gold medal, I was playing for Spain and it is not the same. I have played four Grand Slam finals and in the difficult moments, in the tough situations, I increased my level, I played really great tennis.

"And today probably I felt more the pressure. Maybe other players are not playing in the same way or feeling the pressure about playing for his flag, for his country. Probably myself, I felt the pressure in those situations that I couldn’t play my best tennis so I could feel the difference about playing Grand Slams and playing the final of Olympic Games."

The world No. 3 also explained that the tension was heightened by the lack of opportunity to win the Olympics. He continued: "I play four Grand Slams every year and Olympic Games is one every four years so probably you could feel the pressure playing. As I said, I could feel [it]."

After having time to reflect, Alcaraz will walk away happy with his Olympic debut. But he is keen to learn from the final. "I’m really proud and I’m leaving the court, I’m leaving the tournament with my head really, really high knowing that I gave everything on the court, I gave everything that I could on court today and I will [be] back stronger and I hope to learn from this situation," he said.

It's not the first time the world No. 3 suffered a crushing loss to Djokovic on Court Philippe-Chatrier. After he bounced back from a tough one last year to win Wimbledon, he believes he can do the same again after the Olympics.

Alcaraz added: " remember last year sitting in this seat, 2023 I said that I’m going to learn from the moment that I lost against Novak [in the French Open semi-final] and I did. After that, I’m going to say the same. I’m going to learn from this moment to be a better player, I’m not going to make the same mistakes as I did today and I got a lot of experience so I think after that I’m going to be a better player, I’m going to be more mature off the court as well."

[Smartguy]

调皮的老德开玩笑说，要再参加下届洛杉矶奥运会。

Novak Djokovic's Olympic gold medal press conference gatecrashed after 'unrealistic' goal
Novak Djokovic finally won an Olympic gold medal.
By Yasmin Syed
19:14, Sun, Aug 4, 2024 | UPDATED: 19:35, Sun, Aug 4, 2024

Novak Djokovic made a bold declaration after winning his first gold medal at the Olympic Games.

It was likely the last chance for the 37-year-old to get his hands on the one accolade that always evaded him, as he will be 41 during LA 2028.

But he later admitted he wanted to be in California for the next Olympics before Serbia's tennis captain Viktor Troicki crashed his press conference, laughing at Djokovic's strong statement.

Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in a tense, high-quality gold medal match on Sunday, coming through 7-6(3) 7-6(2). The world No. 2 immediately burst into tears and he fell to the floor before rushing over to celebrate with his family.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion had been forced to wait a long time to finally get his hands on Serbia's first gold medal. Before this year, he had a 0/3 losing record in the Olympics semi-finals and only managed to win bronze once on his debut at Beijing 2008.

Time was running out for him to win gold. And ahead of the final, his former coach Marian Vajda claimed that, if he lost, Djokovic would go to LA 2028 for one more shot at it. When Vajda's comments were put to Djokovic, he joked that he wanted to play there anyway.

"Look, I still, I want to play in Los Angeles. I enjoy playing for my country in Olympic Games particularly and Davis Cup. It’s something that, being part of a team," he started, before being cut off by the arrival of Troicki, who briefly popped his head around the doorway.

Former world No. 12 Troicki started laughing at Djokovic and the 37-year-old added: "He’s making fun of my calendar goals, playing in Los Angeles. I don’t know if he’s laughing because he thinks it’s unrealistic or he’s like, okay, another four years with this guy."

But Djokovic's hopes of being at the 2028 Games appear to be a joke. While he doesn't want to stop playing, he admitted that Paris felt like his last chance at Olympic glory. "Olympic Games come every four years so the opportunity to win gold for your country is very rare and I knew the fact that I’m 37 and I don’t know how many more chances I would have," he explained.

While it might have been extra pressure to have one final opportunity, Djokovic thrived off of it. He added: "I was ready for this tournament and I didn’t drop a set [in the] entire tournament. I knew already in the first opening two rounds the way I was playing that this is my chance. If it’s ever going to be, it’s going to be now.

"When I qualified for the finals I felt a big relief because that’s the hurdle I wasn’t able to surpass in the past. I did celebrate like I won the tournament but of course I wanted gold and I knew that it’s going to take the highest mountain to climb at the moment, probably the highest one playing Alcaraz who is in incredible form."

Djokovic did climb the mountain, saving all eight break points that he faced in the final. And he was rewarded with the "most special feeling" in his career.

"I thought that 2012 opening ceremony in London, carrying the flag for my country at the opening ceremony, opening the Olympic Games is the best feeling that an athlete could have. Until today. This kind of supersedes everything that I imagined, that I hoped that I could experience and that I could feel," he said.

"Being on that court with Serbian flag raising and singing Serbian anthem and carrying gold around my neck is just, I think nothing can beat that in terms of professional sport."

[Smartguy]

纳达尔发安慰信给阿卡，同时发祝贺信给老德：

Rafael Nadal sends Carlos Alcaraz classy message after Olympics heartbreak
Rafael Nadal reached out to his Olympics doubles partner Carlos Alcaraz after the gold medal defeat to Novak Djokovic.
By Jack McEachen
20:05, Sun, Aug 4, 2024 | UPDATED: 20:05, Sun, Aug 4, 2024

Rafael Nadal has shown a touch of class with his message to Spanish compatriot Carlos Alcaraz, insisting that he should be proud of his silver medal. The 21-year-old was reduced to tears following defeat in the men’s singles final to Novak Djokovic.

Alcaraz was yet to lose a major final in his young career but despite taking Djokovic to two tiebreaks at Roland Garros, he came undone in both and his disappointment was visible for all to see in Paris.

The reigning Wimbledon and French Open champion cried on the sidelines while Djokovic celebrated with his team, then had to stop his on-court interview with Alex Corretja when overcome with emotions.

Though a disappointed Alcaraz will be warmed by the message Nadal sent to him minutes after the gold medal match, calling on his protege to keep his head held high despite the heartbreak he suffered in Paris.

“Carlos, although I know that today is a difficult day, value a medal that is very important for the whole country; in time you will see that for you too,” Nadal wrote on his Instagram story. “Thank you for this amazing week and for a medal that you give to Spanish sport.”

That came after Alcaraz admitted that he felt that he had let his country down by not completing what would have been the perfect summer, adding an Olympic gold to his Wimbledon and French Open victories.

"I thought that I let all the Spanish people down a little bit, in some way," the world No. 3 revealed when asked why he burst into tears after defeat. "I know that most of the Spanish people were waiting for my gold medal. And myself as well, I worked for it, I went for it [and] it couldn’t happen so that’s why I got emotional at the end because I couldn’t make all the Spanish people proud."

Though Alcaraz had already begun to process the result and added: "But thinking about that moment, it was really close at the end of the match. I couldn’t think [about] the things clearly and that’s why I got emotional at the end. But I’m right now thinking, I’m going to say more relaxed. I think I made them proud, I made them believe in a certain way. And I’m proud about the way I represented my flag."

Nadal also sent a congratulatory message to Djokovic after seeing his long-time rival achieve everything possible in tennis, adding an Olympic gold medal to his 24 Grand Slam victories.

He wrote: “Congrats Novak on achieving the Golden Slam and being able to achieve what you wanted. Well done.”

[Smartguy]

老德暗示自己还要去打美网（估计是为阿卡夺冠扫清另一半区的障碍 ）。

Novak Djokovic 'officially the GOAT' as Serb makes surprising retirement statement
Novak Djokovic isn't ready to bid farewell to the Olympics.
By Fraser Watson
11:19, Mon, Aug 5, 2024 | UPDATED: 11:22, Mon, Aug 5, 2024

Novak Djokovic has vowed to fight for more Olympic gold in 2028 after his emotional win over Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday. The 37-year-old finally landed the one major title that had eluded him in his illustrious career, beating the Spaniard 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an intense affair at Roland Garros.

Victory saw Djokovic become just the fifth player, after Serena Williams, Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf, to win all four Slams and an Olympic singles gold.

The Serbian was reduced to tears afterwards, having previously declared that winning in Paris this summer was his main goal for 2024.

But he’s now pushed back at the notion that the tournament signified his last appearance at a summer Games. The 24-time Grand Slam winner will be 41 by the time the next edition comes around in Los Angeles, and is already targeting a place on his country’s team for America.

“I still want to play in Los Angeles," he said after beating Alcaraz. "I enjoy playing for my country and the Olympic Games particularly and Davis Cup, being part of the team."

Djokovic also said that winning the coveted gold medal represented one of his greatest achievements. “Now at the age of 37 and facing a 21-year-old who is probably the best player in the world right now, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon back-to-back, I can say that this is probably the biggest sporting success I have ever had,” he added.

Since his win, there has been no shortage of praise for the tennis icon. Serbian footballer Dusan Vlahovic was in attendance for the final, and afterwards lauded the success of his compatriot, insisting that it confirms his status as the greatest player of all time.

“An incredible thing, I'm very glad that I was a part of history and I congratulate Novak,” said the Juventus striker. “I wish him all the luck, I thank him for bringing this gold to Serbia.

“He is our greatest athlete and one of the greatest athletes of all time in general. I’m happy that I was part of history, that he won what he missed. Although as I've been saying before this, now let the whole world say he's officially the GOAT."

Only in June, Djokovic underwent surgery for a torn meniscus, before recovering to compete at the French Open. And his campaign in Paris appeared in doubt after he picked up another knee injury during the early rounds.

But there was little sign of him being hampered as he avenged his Wimbledon final loss to Alcaraz. And he’s already cited his desire to prevail at the US Open next month, as he chases an unprecedented 25th Slam title to take him clear of joint record holder Margaret Court.

[YL7983]

“He is our greatest athlete and one of the greatest athletes of all time in general. I’m happy that I was part of history, that he won what he missed. Although as I've been saying before this, now let the whole world say he's officially the GOAT."

[NovakFan66]

虽然 德约的奥运征程 已经尘埃落地。 作为 德粉欢呼激动后 该干啥 还是 干啥： 该工作就去工作， 该吃饭就去吃饭。

但是这次的 德约和阿卡 对决，太值得回味， 令人回味无穷。
还是想回到这里 感受 各位球迷 的 无声呐喊 和 激动！！！
逐步平静后 要好好工作 了 ！