Tennis great Boris Becker has declared that Novak Djokovic is the “clear favourite” to defeat Carlos Alcaraz and take home the gold in the men’s singles competition at the Olympics in Paris.
After Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal, the former world number one said he “must feel good about his chances” and called the great Serbian “exceptional,” praising both his dedication and level of fitness.
At the 2024 Paris Games, Djokovic hopes to capture his first Olympic gold medal, which would be the only noteworthy honor absent from his trophy case.
At Stade Roland Garros on Monday, the 24-time Grand Slam champion—who is participating in his sixth Olympics—triumphed his fierce adversary Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in the second round.
The 37-year-old’s greatest Olympic performance occurred at his first Games in Beijing in 2008, where he won his lone medal to that point by defeating James Blake in the bronze medal match.
As the top seed in Paris, Djokovic may face No. 2 seed Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time major winner, in the gold medal match.
Following his apologies, Novak Djokovic seems to be sending a strong message to the Olympic organizers.
The top nine men’s head-to-head rivalries in the Open Era include Connors vs. McEnroe, Sampras vs. Agassi, and Djokovic vs. Nadal.
Making his Olympic debut, Alcaraz is the current men’s tennis player of the moment, having won at Wimbledon and Roland Garros in the previous two months.
In the Wimbledon Championship showdown earlier this month, the 21-year-old Spaniard destroyed Djokovic in straight sets to retain his title at the All England Club.
In an interview with Eurosport, Becker supported Djokovic to break through for an Olympic gold in Paris. From 2014 to 2016, he guided Djokovic to six major titles.
The six-time Grand Slam champion stated, “I picked Novak Djokovic as the favorite before the tournament started.”
Even if Jannik Sinner has now defaulted, Carlos Alcaraz is still a strong contender. Novak has a strong opportunity, in my opinion, to at least medal. Djokovic is, in my opinion, the obvious favorite.
“He’s taken home every other title.” He must be optimistic about his chances since that was a significant victory for him [against Nadal]. Alcaraz is still available, though.
“Novak is very remarkable. Even at 37, he takes excellent care of himself and is in excellent shape. He maintains such excellent form because he just focuses on tennis in his diet and way of life. However, we must remember that he is 37.
On Wednesday in Paris, Djokovic will play world No. 70 Dominik Koepfer, while Alcaraz will play Roman Safiullin, who is ranked 66th.