"Novak Djokovic made me cry" - Juan Martin del Potro recalls his emotions after Serb's Paris Olympics gold triumph
Novak Djokovic's Paris Olympics gold medal triumph made Juan Martin del Potro emotional. The men's singles final at the Games between the Serb and Carlos Alcaraz was the first time Del Potro cried after watching a tennis match, he said..
During his fifth appearance at the Olympic Games, Djokovic earned the medal that eluded him for over a decade. He had reached three semifinals in four attempts but lost all three matches previously. His best was a bronze medal finish at his debut 2008 Games in Beijing.
In Paris, however, the tide turned for the Serbian. He comfortably defeated Italy's Lorenzo Musetti in the semifinal 6-4, 6-2 before defeating Spain's Alcaraz in the gold medal match 7-6(3), 7-6(2). Upon watching Djokovic win gold, the Argentine Del Potro's emotions ran high. In a recent interview at the 2024 US Open, he said:
“He made me cry the other day when he won the gold medal. It was the first tennis match that I cried.”
Former player Del Potro and defending champion Djokovic attended a practice session together at the US Open on Wednesday, August 21. They were also part of the Fan Week event called 'Stars of the Open'.
Del Potro teamed with Gabriela Sabatini against Venus Williams and Andy Roddick. Meanwhile, Djokovic partnered John McEnroe against Carlos Alcaraz and Andre Agassi.
Novak Djokovic recalls matches lost against the Argentine at the Olympics
In the presence of Juan Martin del Potro at the 2024 US Open, Novak Djokovic was asked if winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics was his 'greatest achievement'.
“My greatest success ever was beating Juan Martin del Potro in the final of US Open in 2018,” Novak Djokovic said, smiling.
Del Potro was not far behind in sneaky responses, as he stated:
“My biggest success was beating you [Djokovic] in Rio.”
Djokovic added:
“And in London, Delpo is my nemesis at the Olympic Games. He’s been my slayer.”
Overall, Djokovic leads the head-to-head against Del Potro 16-4. However, the Serb lost both matches he played against the Argentine at the Olympics.
At the 2012 Games in London, Del Potro defeated the Serb 7-5, 6-4 in the bronze medal match. At the next Games in Rio, the Argentine triumphed over Djokovic again in the first round 7-6(4), 7-6(2).
The 24-time Grand Slam winner celebrated his Paris Olympics triumph in the grandest of manners before returning to the court this week. He skipped the preparatory tournaments leading up to the US Open and will commence his North American hard court series with the New York Major itself.