It was a glorious weekend for Novak Djokovic as he triumphed over latest nemesis Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to win Olympic gold in Paris on Sunday.The Serb’s victory over the Spanish upstart who dismantled him thoroughly in the Wimbledon final just a few weeks ago made him just the fifth man to complete a Golden Slam;winning all four Majors as well as Olympic gold.
To contextualise just how exclusive that club is,Roger Federer is not part of it.That is pertinent.For the longest time,the Swiss maestro led the way,capturing hearts on and off the court.His mesmerising ability with the racquet equalled or maybe even surpassed by his charm and elegance outside the confines of his day job.
He reigned alongside Rafa Nadal for the bulk of the Noughties.Until Djokovic lifted the 2008 Australian Open.It proved a precursor for his dominance over the next decade and beyond.He has since won more Grand Slams than anybody not named Steffi Graf,and in fact only needs one more to own the record outright.
Tennis eventually accepted,albeit begrudgingly,that the idealistic idea of the so called Fedal rivalry/bromance just couldn’t stand up to scrutiny in the face of Djokovic’s dominance.The idea of the Big 3 was thus born.The undesired third wheeler just wouldn’t go away.He chased,caught and then passed his rivals’ records,beating them comprehensively along the way.
The unpalatable but indisputable truth was that not only did the Djoker,as he is affectionately known,belong on the same table as his more popular contemporaries,he was actually sat at its head.But with an Olympic gold medal still elusive,there was room for a hole to be poked in his legacy.
Not anymore.By dispatching an Alcaraz who has emerged as the leader of the new generation ready to supposedly usurp the Big 3(Big 4 if you want to include Andy Murray),Djokovic put to rest any notion of uncertainty about it.He is the Greatest Of All Time.
I can only speculate,but it surely must be even sweeter for him that despite being cast and perceived as the unaffable villain to Federer’s and Nadal’s charismatic hero figures for the two decades the three have ruled tennis,he has defied it all to rise to the top of the mountain.
