When Novak Djokovic decides a point is his, you can hear it before you see it. He has a habit of elongating his grunt just as the ball screams off his racquet, a sonic signal that he has struck a winner. This signature audio cue was on full display in Paris on that Sunday at Roland Garros, marking the end of one of the most cathartic victories of his career: the Olympic gold-medal match against Carlos Alcaraz.
In the second-set tiebreak, Djokovic didn’t just play; he sprinted down the homestretch. On match point, he seized the first forehand offered to him, reaching back with a slightly exaggerated swing and letting out a roar that seemed to stretch time. He clubbed the ball with absolute conviction. Even Alcaraz, whose speed usually allows him to retrieve the impossible, could only hang his head and watch the ball—and the gold medal—sail past him.
Echoes of Serena
For those watching closely, Djokovic’s clinching shot triggered a powerful sense of déjà vu, harkening back to another Olympic match point twelve years prior. That moment belonged to Serena Williams on Centre Court, where she secured her own elusive singles gold in a rout of Maria Sharapova. On her match point, Serena also reached back a little farther, firing an ace down the T. Her celebratory scream seemed to pierce the air before the ball even left her strings.
This parallel isn’t accidental. The sight of Djokovic inching toward gold while the ESPN documentary “In the Arena”—chronicling Serena’s career—aired created a natural juxtaposition of their legacies. The stats are staggering: Djokovic with his 24 major titles, Williams finishing with 23. Both achieved their own non-calendar slams (the “Serena Slam” and the “Djoker Slam”), and both fell agonizingly short of the calendar-year Grand Slam at the US Open. Now, they stand alongside Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, and Rafael Nadal as members of the exclusive club to have won a career Golden Slam in singles.
The Weight of the Gold
The Golden Slam remains a notoriously difficult metric for greatness, largely because the opportunity is so rare. It only became a possibility in 1988, requiring a dominant player to align their peak performance with a four-year cycle that is often out of their control. Even Roger Federer missed out, thwarted by Juan Martin del Potro in 2012 before Andy Murray took the gold. It is telling that Williams and Djokovic, the consensus greatest players of the Open Era, didn’t complete their sets until they were 30 and 37, respectively.
Defying the Calendar
Winning gold proves an athlete’s ability to seize a fleeting moment, but Djokovic’s recent run proves his ability to defy time altogether. If the Olympic victory was supposed to be a capstone, nobody told the Serbian star. In 2025, he continued to rewrite the ultimate age records, competing in all four Major semi-finals and capturing two ATP titles well after his 38th birthday.
Djokovic started this late-career surge by conquering Geneva in May, overcoming Hubert Hurkacz in a thrilling final. With that victory, he became just the third player in the Open Era to accumulate 100 ATP titles, joining the legendary company of Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. It was a clear signal that he had no intention of slowing down.
A Historic Battle in Athens
The history books were rewritten again later in the year. Having lived in Athens since September, Djokovic treated the tournament there as a home event. Playing in front of family and friends, the veteran navigated a tricky draw, dispatching Alejandro Tabilo, Nuno Borges, and Yannick Hanfmann to reach the final.
There, he met Lorenzo Musetti, a player fighting for a spot in the ATP Finals. The clash was a massive battle of attrition, lasting two hours and 59 minutes. Djokovic eventually prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 7-5, showcasing the grit that has defined his entire career. By lifting the trophy at 38 years and five months, he became the oldest ATP Tour champion since 1990.
Standing Alone
This victory did more than just add hardware to his trophy case; it placed Djokovic in rarefied historical air. He is now the fifth player in the Open Era to win an ATP trophy at age 38, but he stands out even among that group. By securing multiple titles at that age, he joins Pancho Gonzales and Ken Rosewall—legends of the late 60s and early 70s—as the only men to achieve such a feat. From the clay of Paris to the hard courts of Athens, the message is clear: the grunt is still loud, and the forehand is as lethal as ever.