Novak Djokovic finally adds an Olympic gold to his resume by beating Carlos Alcaraz in a taut final

BY HOWARD FENDRICH

PARIS (AP) — For all of his Grand Slam championships and other titles, for all of his time at No. 1, Novak Djokovic really, really wanted an Olympic gold medal for Serbia, the last significant accomplishment missing from his glittering resume.

He finally got one at age 37 on Sunday, beating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) in an enthralling and evenly matched men’s tennis singles final at the 2024 Games.

In a sense, it doesn’t matter one bit how long it took, of course. Djokovic is now an Olympic champion and forever will be. And in another sense, the years of waiting, the stumbles along the journey, made him appreciate this triumph as much as — no, make that more than — every other, which is why his hands trembled when he knelt on Court Philippe Chatrier’s red clay at the end and why his tears