"For Novak Djokovic, winning the gold medal is like the icing on the cake" - Jimmy Connors on the importance of Serb's Paris Olympics triumph
Jimmy Connors has had his say on Novak Djokovic winning the men's singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the gold medal match to add the prestigious honor to his long list of illustrious achievements.
Ahead of this year's Games, the Serb had repeatedly stated that winning Olympic gold was one of his priorities for the 2024 tennis season. However, he came into the Paris Olympics on the back of an up-and-down season. While the 24-time Major winner did reach the semifinals of the Australian Open and the final of the Wimbledon Championships, he was comprehensively beaten in both matches by Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz respectively.
Additionally, there were lingering concerns over Djokovic's right knee, which sustained a meniscus tear during his French Open campaign; an issue that required him to undergo surgery almost immediately after he withdrew from the claycourt Major.
However, the Serb was in red-hot form at the Olympics, and he reached the final by comfortably brushing aside Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti. In the final, Djokovic was severely tested by Alcaraz, but in the most crucial moments, the 37-year-old held his own. Eventually, he surged past Alcaraz in the decisive second-set tiebreak, producing some fearsome forehands to seal his maiden Olympic gold medal in five attempts.
Recently, former World No. 1 Jimmy Connors talked about the importance of Djokovic winning gold at the Paris Olympics in an episode of the Advantage Connors podcast. According to the 71-year-old, it was "the icing on the cake" for the Serb.
"Probably this gold medal is as important to him as his first Wimbledon or US Open because he's done the others, you know, he's won every Grand Slam and many other tournaments. But winning the gold medal, for him, it's like the icing on the cake," Connors said. (18:34)
The eight-time Grand Slam champion also hailed the quality of the gold medal match that Djokovic and Alcaraz produced. Even though the Serb won the match in two straight sets, the fact that the contest lasted nearly three hours reflects the fiercely competitive nature of it.
"Almost three hours of play, 7-6(3), 7-6(2), the kind of tennis that they produced, what do you expect?" Connors added.
Jimmy Connors had voiced his concern for Novak Djokovic earlier this year amid the Serb's erratic form
In March, Djokovic was in action at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, where he was one of the favorites to win. Inexplicably though, the 24-time Major winner was stunned in the third round by 20-year-old lucky loser Luca Nardi. The defeat raised concerns regarding the Serb's health, both physical and mental, and Connors was among the prominent names in tennis to speak up about it.
At the time, Connors suggested that age had, at last, caught up with Djokovic.
"Age is something that you can never beat and as much you try to fight it and as much as you try to figure out a way with your diet or with your training or whatever, numbers count in that," Connors said.
The Serb has chosen not to defend his Cincinnati Open title this year, opting instead to take a brief break before he returns to action at the US Open.