WATCH: Belgrade streets burst into euphoria as Novak Djokovic's Olympic gold medal ignites thrilling celebrations in Serbia
Serbia's Novak Djokovic won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics in the men's singles event by beating Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. The streets of Serbia's capital Belgrade burst into celebrations as the tennis star bagged the second gold medal for the country at the ongoing Olympics.
Djokovic faced Alcaraz in the gold medal match on Sunday, August 4, which was the first Olympic singles final for both men. Djokovic was the oldest to play an Olympic singles final while Alcaraz was the youngest to do so in 120 years.
The highly anticipated match saw both competitors earn multiple break points but neither could take the upper hand as they could not convert any. However, Djokovic emerged victorious after wining two set tie-breakers, winning the match 7-6(3), 7-6(2).
The Belgrade-born tennis star's triumph sent Serbia and particularly Belgrade into a frenzy. Videos of Serbians celebrating on the streets of the capital were shared on social media. People proudly waved the Serbian flag as Djokovic fulfilled his Olympic dream.
You can watch the videos of the celebrations below:
The Belgrade Tower, officially known as Kula Belgrade, was also lit up to commemorate the achievement. The 42-floor skyscraper displayed visuals of the 37-year-old's triumph.
Djokovic expressed his pride in representing Serbia after the gold medal triumph. He said in a post-match interview:
“Everything [about this is special], but most of all it is my country. It’s my pride to play for Serbia."
He mentioned how other tennis stars love playing for their country and he is no different.
"I know Carlos and Rafa [Nadal], they love to play for Spain. Andy [Murray] loved to play for Great Britain. Roger [Federer] for Switzerland. Alex Zverev won in Tokyo for Germany. You saw the reactions of all these guys when they win. It’s something special,” he added.
"At age 37, I finally did it" - Novak Djokovic put "everything" on the line to win Olympic gold
Novak Djokovic reached the Olympic singles semifinal three times before playing in the 2024 Paris Games and faced defeat on all three occasions. For the first time, he crossed the semifinal barrier after defeating Italy's Lorenzo Musetti.
Against Spain's Carlos Alcaraz, in the final, he put in "everything" to capture Olympic singles gold, according to him. During a post-match interview with Eurosport, he said:
"We both had our chances to break but, when it mattered, we both came up with big serves and big plays... I don't know what to say, I'm still in shock. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold... At age 37, I finally did it."
Djokovic won Serbia's second medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The first, also gold, was won by the shooting pair of Zorana Arunovic and Damir Mikec.