"Novak Djokovic was wearing a cross round his neck"- Andrea Petkovic credits Serb's belief in god and himself after Paris Olympics win
Novak Djokovic clinched his maiden Olympic gold in Paris after defeating Carlos Alcaraz in the final of the men's singles event at the 2024 Games last Sunday. The Serb has enjoyed tremendous success in the Grand Slams throughout his career and was eager to add an Olympic gold to his illustrious trophy cabinet, which now comprises 24 Grand Slams and 2 Olympic medals.
Djokovic's win in Paris was hailed by former German tennis player Andrea Petkovic. She recently wrote a newsletter article about "incorporating the Olympic spirit into one's daily life", and picked a number of sporting stories to illustrate her meaning. One example she chose was Djokovic, for his "belief":
"Novak Djokovic has shown us what belief can do to turn a season around. He didn’t win a title all year (which is not unusual for anybody else but him) but found his best game to win gold when it mattered most to him. How did he do it? Belief. In himself and God. He was wearing a cross around his neck which he frequently touched before important points," Petkovic wrote.
The Serb was defeated by Alcaraz just a month back at the Wimbledon finals but made a strong comeback at the Olympics beating the Spaniard with scores of 7-6(7-3), 7-6 (7-2).
Serbia to honor Novak Djokovic with a museum dedicated to him following Paris Olympics gold
![Djokovic at the 2024 Summer Olympics [Image Source: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/08/2177d-17233590456811-1920.jpg?w=500)
Djokovic clinched his maiden Olympic gold in Paris by winning the men's singles event in the 2024 Olympics. He defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final 7-6(7-3), 7-6(7-2).
After Djokovic's victory, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that the Serbian Government would honor Djokovic's achievements with the construction of a museum dedicated to him.
Vucic referred to Rafael Nadal's museum in Mallorca, as his government prepares to build a museum for Djokovic. He also compared Djokovic to Nadal in his statement:
“Palma (de Mallorca) has a museum dedicated to Rafael Nadal. We will aim to appropriately showcase the contributions Djokovic has made to our country and simultaneously attract tourists. Novak is greater than Nadal in this magnificent sport,” Vučić said.
Djokovic will now shift his focus toward the 2024 US Open scheduled to begin later this month. The 37-year-old would be eager to clinch his 25th Grand Slam as the hardcourt season kicks on in New York.