Carlos Alcaraz broke down in tears after his gold medal dreams were dashed by Novak Djokovic.
In emotional scenes after the Serbian tennis star completed the coveted Golden Slam on Sunday, Alcaraz began crying on court at the Paris 2024 Games.
Djokovic, who is playing in his fifth Olympic Games, defeated the 21-year-old 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) in the men’s singles final.
However, fans were quick to console the Spanish tennis player by assuring him that a gold medal could still be in his future.
“His time will come. He will be one of the best of all time. But it’s so hard to see the tears,” wrote one fan on X.
Carlos Alcaraz cried when his gold medal dreams were cut short by Novak Djokovic
Alcaraz burst into tears on the court at the Paris 2024 Games after the final match
“You played a spectacular match, but it wasn’t meant to be. Your gold will come in 2028,” added another.
A third chimed in: “Bad luck today Carlos, you’re a very special player, your time will come soon,” while another echoed the same sentiment: “It’s only his first Olympics and a silver in his first edition is pretty cool too.”
Djokovic became only the fifth player in tennis history to win the singles Golden Slam after his victory in the City of Love.
The 24-time Grand Slam winner had previously won 10 Australian Opens, seven Wimbledon titles, four US Opens and three French Opens.
However, a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Games was her best Olympic result until this weekend.
Novak Djokovic fell to his knees after winning the men’s singles gold medal match on Sunday.
Djokovic was emotional as he raised a Serbian flag after ending his long wait for Olympic gold.
The only other players to have won all four Grand Slam singles titles and an Olympic singles gold are Rafael Nadal, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams, who was in the crowd during the match against Alcaraz.
While the Spanish superstar will likely have many more chances to strike gold, 2024 was likely Djokovic’s last chance at Olympic glory.
Speaking to Eurosport after his victory, Djokovic said: “It was an unbelievable fight and I had to play my best tennis.”
“I put my heart, my soul, everything I had into winning gold. I did it for my country, for Serbia,” she added.