Italy’s tennis legend Adriano Panatta has admitted that Novak Djokovic proved him wrong by winning the singles gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Djokovic, who had lost to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, earned his revenge against the Spaniard at the Olympic Games.
Djokovic had struggled to play at his best this season. Before the Summer Games, he last won a title at the 2023 ATP Finals in Turin. This year, he reached his first final in Wimbledon, where a poor performance saw him lose to Alcaraz in straight sets. After the loss, Panatta opined that the Serbian might not beat Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner again.
The Italian also stated that Alcaraz or Sinner would win the Olympic gold and that Djokovic was far from the favorite. Before the Olympics, the Italian withdrew after suffering tonsillitis. Djokovic put together a strong run and beat Alcaraz in the final to reign supreme.
Panatta paid tribute to Djokovic for his achievement at the Olympics, adding that he had missed the mark in his previous analysis.
Djokovic today demonstrated, if there was still any need, that he is an immense champion (translated from Italian). I said I didn’t think he could play at this level again, but he proved me wrong and I wanted to honour him. Hats off!Adriano Panatta told Tennis365
Panatta rose to tennis fame during his career becoming the only player to beat tennis great Bjorn Borg at the French Open final in 1976.
Novak Djokovic declares he has “completed” tennis following his singles gold medal triumph at the Paris Olympics
Novak Djokovic revealed that he has completed tennis after winning a singles gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The 37-year-old had competed at the Summer Games four times, winning only one bronze in Beijing 2008. However, he managed to win the elusive gold in his fifth appearance.
The World No. 2 has now won 99 titles in his career, including 24 Grand Slams and seven ATP Finals. With his Olympic gold, he is now arguably the greatest player of all time.
Yes it’s complete because I completed all the achievements with this gold medal, but no because I love this sport. I don’t play only to win the tournaments.Novak Djokovic said (via BBC)
The 37-year-old withdrew from the Canadian Open which got underway on Monday (August 5). He is on the entry list at the Cincinnati Open, after which he is expected to compete at the US Open.
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