It was not to be. Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3) and 7-6(2) in 2h 50m in an almost epic battle in the final of the Roland Garros Games. The match was very close, but despite the efforts of the Murcian to have fought for the gold, Djokovic took the victory in two very tight sets (7-6 (7/3) and 7-6 (7/2)) to leave the Murcian with the silver.
A silver for Spain
The Murcian certified Thus the eighth medal for the Spanish delegation at the Olympic Games and the second for Spanish tennis in the Parisian capital after the bronze hours before by Sara Sorribes and Cristina Bucsa, but he could not emulate Rafa Nadal and his feat of 2008 when he was champion in Beijing after having won Roland Garros and Wimbledon. For his part, Novak Djokovic ends in the best way with one of his ‘obsessions’, Olympic glory, which had been denied to him since his debut in the event in 2008, thus rounding off an enormous list of achievements where his 24 ‘Grand Slams’ stand out.
Carlos, who dreamed of returning to Spain in the form of gold all the affection he receives, could not hold back his tears after the match. In an interview with Eursoport after the match with Àlex Corretja, the Murcia native was overcome with emotion: “It’s complicated. We fought for a match that lasted almost three hours, we didn’t take advantage of the opportunities we had and in the end it’s never easy to play against Djokovic. He always plays at a very high level in those moments. He also deserves this opportunity. It hurts to lose the way I lost, but I’m leaving with my head held high knowing that I gave it my all,” he said with a broken voice. Seeing Alcaraz cry moved the whole of Spain and his tears have travelled around the world.
One country, one team
However, the most viral image of Carlos came shortly after. Now calmer, the Murcian was clear about who his first message should go to: Spain and Carolina Marín. The Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion took a photo with a Spanish flag that included a message of support for the badminton star, who hours earlier had no chance of a medal in Paris 2024 after having to withdraw due to injury.
The Spanish Olympic Committee (COE) echoed a truly praiseworthy gesture by Alcaraz with the badminton star and published on social media the image of the tennis player from El Palmar, with a silver medal around his neck, wearing a Spanish flag on which one could read: “Carolina Force”. A picture enough powerful enough to go viral instantly, hours after Alcaraz had already sent a heartbroken tweet to Marín. The snapshot drove users crazy and reactions were not long in coming.
“Bravo Carlos!”, “It’s impossible to be greater”, “Details that make him different. Huge”, “Your heart is bigger than your game. Be proud of your game and your medal… And all the strength and infinite support for Carolina” or “And there are still people who hate this guy for loving his country, it’s mind-blowing” These are just a few examples of the messages that flood Twitter, where his image has more than 240,000 views.