Novak Djokovic Eyes Olympic Gold, U.S. Open After Wimbledon Defeat
Novak Djokovic vowed to return stronger after being outplayed by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, just over a month after undergoing knee surgery. The 37-year-old Serbian star is now setting his sights on contending for a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and a record 25th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.
“In the face of adversity, normally I rise and I learn and get stronger,” Djokovic said after his 6-2, 6-2, 7-6 (4) loss to Alcaraz. “That’s what I’m going to do.”
Djokovic, who also lost to Alcaraz in last year’s Wimbledon final, has a 23-7 record this season without a title. Sunday’s match marked his first final appearance of 2024.
His Grand Slam journey this year has been challenging: he was eliminated by current No. 1 Jannik Sinner in the Australian Open semifinals and reached the quarterfinals at the French Open before withdrawing due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. He underwent surgery on June 5 and was uncertain about participating in Wimbledon until just days before the draw.
“My preparation for Wimbledon wasn’t as I would have it normally. … There was hindrance obviously because of the injury,” Djokovic said. “That probably had an effect, particularly in the opening rounds.”
“But as the tournament progressed, I felt better and better. I reached the finals. Some matches I played some really good tennis. Some matches I kind of battled my way through. But today, I saw that I was just half a step behind him, in every sense.”
Wearing a gray sleeve over his right knee, Djokovic won 27 of 53 net points and finished with 26 winners to Alcaraz’s 42. He was broken five times and only managed to win one of Alcaraz’s service games.
“Being able to reach the finals of Wimbledon … (is) a great confidence boost. But I also feel like in a matchup today against the best player right now in the world, for sure — I mean, other than Jannik, and both of them are the best this year by far — I feel like I’m not at that level,” Djokovic said.
“In order to really have a chance to, I guess, beat these guys in Grand Slam latter stages or Olympics, I’m going to have to play much better than I did today and feel much better than I did today.”
Djokovic Impressed Alcaraz Despite the Loss
Alcaraz, 21, was impressed with Djokovic’s performance despite the loss.
“What he has done this tournament — with a surgery just a few weeks before the tournament — is amazing. It is unbelievable.”
Djokovic’s next target is the Summer Games, with the tennis competition starting at Roland Garros on July 27. An Olympic gold remains one of the few accolades missing from his illustrious resume, which includes 10 Australian Open titles, seven Wimbledon titles, four U.S. Open titles, and three French Open titles. He has a total of 98 tour-level titles and has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the rankings than any other player.
Djokovic plans to analyze his performance, train, and practice to be at his best for future challenges. He remains self-critical but determined not to dwell on what might have been against Alcaraz.
“Of course, I can always be self-critical, which I am. I can always find the flaws, which I can already see. Things that I maybe should have executed better,” Djokovic said. “I don’t think that would change too much the course of the match, to be honest.”
