For Novak Djokovic, a golden moment beckons at the Olympics

As recently as a week ago, Novak Djokovic’s burning desire to claim an Olympic gold medal in singles, the only honor of distinction in the sport that has eluded him, seemed to border on the unrealistic.

After all, Djokovic is 37. He is still recovering from knee surgery for an injury sustained at Roland Garros. In his first tournament back from that operation, he was steamrolled in the Wimbledon final by Iberian wonderboy Carlos Alcaraz. Jannik Sinner seems to have figured out Djokovic’s password. And then there’s Djokovic’s own (comparatively) subpar showing in previous Olympics.

Personal history has always played a role in how well players do at certain events, yet it now seems that the quadrennial tournament that has tormented Djokovic for nearly two decades is his to lose.

No, we haven’t forgotten about Alcaraz. But the 21-year-old sensation is taking part in his first Olympics, and due to the pageantry and scope of the Games, that can be an overwhelming experience for anyone. On a practical level, it takes some getting used to the unique challenge of Olympic tennis because the event is compacted into nine days (singles, doubles and mixed), with a 64-player draw, just one round less that at a two-week Grand Slam event. The emotional as well as physical drain, can be debilitating. Furthermore, patriotism all but dictates taking part in doubles, which often ends up having an outsized impact on singles performance. Alcaraz certainly has been made aware of this but, unlike Djokovic, has no direct experience of it.

Alcaraz and Rafael Nadal comprise a Spanish “dream team” that is attracting enormous attention because of all the value-added, generational implications. In his first meeting with reporters in Paris, Alcaraz said, “I am so excited as I arrive at the Games. I am less experienced, but I hope to adapt quickly to doubles. For me, it is a dream to play with Rafa. The road is difficult but exciting. I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible.”

Hearing those comments, you would be hard-pressed to know that Alcaraz is also playing singles. It’s a warning sign, as well as a key element in distinguishing the Olympics from tour events. A medal earned in doubles or mixed doubles is just as hefty and shiny as the one awarded in singles. The veteran Djokovic knows from bitter personal experience how the distraction and physical toll of also playing doubles can damage one’s medal effort. He’s conserving energy and playing only singles this year.

Djokovic is also poised to benefit from the rash of unexpected, late withdrawals by, among others, Sinner, Alex de Minaur, Hubert Hurkacz and the slumping-but-dangerous Holger Rune. Their absence is sure to make the aging icon’s heart grow fonder.

Olympic tennis, much like Davis Cup, is notorious for producing shock results, usually right from Day One. But the opening weekend in Paris did not suggest that another bloodbath is in the offing. That can only increase the comfort level of the elite competitors.

The first hurdle in Djokovic’s tournament came in the form of Monday’s potentially unnerving second-round clash with his great career rival, Nadal. Yet the match, played on the court where Nadal earned the “King of Clay” sobriquet, lacked the earmarks of those once fierce, excruciatingly close battles between these two. If anything, Djokovic’s 6-1, 6-4 victory may be memorialized as the tipping point if oft-injured Nadal decides to end his singles career following this Grand Slam season.

Or perhaps we’ll remember it as the launching pad for Djokovic’s gold-medal drive.

“I think there was a lot of interest directed at our match today,” Djokovic told reporters after the win. “It’s unfortunate for him he wasn’t at his best, but I did everything I possibly could to make him uncomfortable.”

With those words, Djokovic wanted us to recognize that the result isn’t just a tale of how banged-up, compromised and ineffective Nadal has become. It was just as much—if not more—about Djokovic’s ability to dominate. If the worst thing going into this event for Djokovic was meeting Nadal on Court Philippe Chatrier in the second round, the best thing about the event may be that Djokovic won it going away. It is clearly a confidence booster.

The Serbian star can use that accelerant. This may be his last run for the gold, and those unpredictable Olympic stars seem to be aligning in his favor.