Novak Djokovic's Olympic gold medal celebration post goes viral, surpasses Roger Federer's Laver Cup farewell message in numbers
Novak Djokovic's Olympic gold medal celebration post seems to have helped him break yet another record, with the post's likes having surpassed those of the Serb's great rival Roger Federer's 2022 Laver Cup farewell post. Djokovic won his maiden Olympic gold medal in the men's singles tennis event at this year's Paris Olympics on Sunday, August 4.
The Olympic gold medal was the one major honor that Djokovic's glittering tennis career had failed to yield prior to this year's Games. The Serb's previous best was a bronze medal that he had secured in his Olympics debut back in 2008 in Beijing.
In the 2024 Paris Olympics men's singles gold medal match against his young rival Carlos Alcaraz, the 24-time Major winner put on a display that pretty much sums up his entire career so far. The Spaniard was brilliant, but Djokovic defended resolutely from start to finish, and managed to raise his level in the toughest moments. Ultimately, the 37-year-old won 7-6(3), 7-6(2), to become the oldest tennis player to clinch Olympic gold.
Following the historic achievement that saw him become only the fifth tennis player to win the Career Golden Slam in singles, Djokovic shared a celebratory post on Instagram, captioned:
"Dear Serbia, We did it. Love, Nole ❤️🥇"
At the time of writing, the post has generated a staggering 2,284,237 likes, significantly more than Roger Federer's 2022 Laver Cup farewell post, which was captioned:
"It was a magical evening yesterday. Thank you again to all the players and fans who were here to share this moment. It meant the world to me. ❤️😊🙏🏼🥲"
Federer's post, at the time of writing, has 2,222,606 likes.
Novak Djokovic rates Paris Olympics gold higher than his 24 Grand Slam title triumphs
Djokovic has the most singles Major triumphs in Open Era tennis with 24 Grand Slam titles. There is a common perception that the majority of tennis players considers the Majors more important than the Olympics, but according to the World No. 2 himself, Olympic gold trumps all his other achievements in the sport.
After his remarkable win over Alcaraz in the gold medal match, the former World No. 1 said that considering the difference in age between himself and the Spaniard, and Alcaraz's red-hot recent form, the Paris Olympics gold medal is his "biggest sporting success."
"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," Djokovic said.
The Serb's next challenge would be the 2024 US Open. If he does manage to win the prestigious hardcourt Major, he would become, based on numbers alone, the greatest singles tennis player with 25 Grand Slam titles. As things stand, Djokovic is tied with yesteryear women's tennis great Margaret Court.