Novak Djokovic calls Olympic victory the greatest emotion of his career

In an interview with RTS, Novak Djokovic reiterated how the long-awaited gold medal victory at the Olympic Games in Paris is the most important of his career.

Before the sweet taste of victory began, there were two semi-final defeats in Beijing 2008 and London 2012 against Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray, then the painful defeat against his friend Juan Martin del Potro in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and the surprising comeback against Alexander Zverev in Tokyo 2020. But the happy ending came for Nole in Paris 2024.

“The main reason is that I got the chance to represent Serbia again in a world sporting event, the most important. The other reason is my Olympic career: I lost to Nadal in the semi-final in Beijing, then two more semi-finals and the fight for third place. These were some of the hardest defeats of my career. The Olympic Games are only held once every four years. I arrived at this edition without having won a single title in the season, I had a knee operation, I am 37 years old and I managed to beat an opponent who had just beaten me at Wimbledon. All this makes it special. The biggest emotion of my career“It’s hard to describe in words,” he explained.

OLYMPIC GOLD! 🥇

The missing piece of the puzzle for Novak Djokovic. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (7-3) 6-6 (7-2).#BBCOlympics #Olympic Games #Paris2024 photo.twitter.com/yyCkbRIv9E

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 4, 2024

History has always told how the Serb always had a hard time at the Olympics. And instead, at the age of 37 and after an operation on the meniscus of his right knee, the Serbian champion managed to realize his biggest dream, playing a legendary final and winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

“The Olympic Games were my main goal. I was very worried after the knee injury I sustained at Roland Garros, but when I managed to play the final at Wimbledon, I felt relieved because I knew I would be ready for the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. Tennis is not the classic Olympic sport compared to other disciplines. I have always followed the Olympic Games, especially our Serbian athletes, but I really began to feel their importance and weight after I took part in them for the first time. I will remember this for the rest of my life,” the Serbian champion analyzed.

Daviscup. Tim Srbija. Ditmooo! 🇷🇸 photo.twitter.com/I5WL5SdXoe

— Novak Djokovic (@DjokerNole) September 13, 2024