Olympic champ chases US Open triumph

Having scaled his Mount Olympus this month to claim the Olympic gold medal that had eluded him, Novak Djokovic has nothing left to prove and can put more daylight between himself and his two historic rivals by winning another major at the US Open.

The 37-year-old Serbian great fell to his knees and sobbed into the Parisian clay after beating young gun Carlos Alcaraz to complete the "Golden Slam", and put an exclamation mark on his already cemented status as the GOAT of men's tennis.

Djokovic won his 24th Grand Slam title in New York last year to move two ahead of Spaniard Rafael Nadal, whose career is winding down, and who will not compete at the year's final major, and four clear of retired Swiss maestro Roger Federer.

Djokovic, Nadal and Federer once comprised the "Big Three "that had a two-decade stranglehold on the men's game, but the current world No 2 is now the last man standing.

"He's looking to sort of separate himself from Federer and Nadal, that's really is what it boils down to," former world No 1 and ESPN broadcaster John McEnroe told reporters.

"He seems to have already done that in a way. He's won the Olympics, won everything, won more than those guys. To me, you'd have to ask him, but it (more success) is gravy. He sort of put himself there already."

Djokovic's Paris 2024 triumph was all the more impressive as it came two months after knee surgery and was against Alcaraz, the 21-year-old Spaniard who thrashed him in this year's Wimbledon final in what felt like a changing of the guard.

Djokovic got a hero's welcome from the thousands on hand to greet him when he returned to Belgrade on Monday, and has called the Olympic title "the biggest sporting achievement I have had".

The affection he felt in Serbia's capital stands in contrast to the, at times, frosty reception he has received from tennis fans around the world who fell in love with Federer and Nadal before Djokovic came along and usurped them both.

"It was a fairy tale," former women's world No 1 and ESPN commentator Chris Evert said of Djokovic striking gold in Paris.

"But you know what? I believe in karma. This guy has worked his butt off his whole life, put up with a lot from the press and from being kind of the bad guy with Federer and Nadal. He deserves it. He deserves it all."

If four-time US Open champion Djokovic can pull off the "Herculean" task of lifting a 25th Grand Slam trophy at Flushing Meadows, then what?

"I would allow him to retire after that," Evert said to laughter from reporters. "I would say, 'OK, you have everybody in the world's permission to retire'."

Bid for top spot

Alcaraz capped off an unforgettable European summer with a silver medal at the Olympics after triumphs at the French Open and Wimbledon, but the Spaniard will aim to clear his head in the build-up to US Open following an epic meltdown.

He heads to the year's final Grand Slam on the back of a stunning 4-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 second-round defeat by French veteran Gael Monfils at last week's Cincinnati Open and called it the "worst match" of his career.

A frustrated Alcaraz destroyed his racket in the deciding set by repeatedly striking it on the court, and was at a loss to explain his dip in form and uncharacteristic implosion.

"I couldn't play. Honestly, I'd been practicing really well. The previous days, I was feeling great, hitting the ball clear, moving well. I don't know what happened. I don't know how I felt like this. I couldn't control myself," he said.

"It's really difficult to find some good stuff from this match. So I want to forget it and try to move on. I'll go to New York and try to practise well, get used to those courts."

The humbling Cincinnati defeat came in Alcaraz's first match on hardcourts since his run to the Miami quarterfinals in March, shortly after he lifted the Indian Wells title.

The world No 3 will hope to quickly rediscover that form, and can draw strength from his happy memories of playing at Flushing Meadows, where he made his Grand Slam breakthrough as a teenager in 2022 with the first of his four major titles.

The free-swinging Spaniard has never lacked confidence, and remains a title contender at the event, which runs between Aug 26 and Sept 8, despite his blip. But, the resurgence of his main rivals Djokovic and Jannik Sinner is likely to make his path tougher.

Djokovic reignited his disappointing season by outclassing Alcaraz for the Paris Games gold, while Australian Open champion Sinner shrugged off his health issues to reaffirm his hardcourt credentials with the Cincinnati title.

Thwarting the duo could be the big challenge for Alcaraz, whose key target is to finish a stellar season by cementing the year-end No 1 ranking for the second time.

"I'm focused on going to every tournament, thinking about playing great tennis, getting good results to get better in the race," Alcaraz said.

"Ending the year as No 1 is one of my main goals."

Agencies