Nole is through to his first Olympic final!
World no.2 Novak Djokovic defeated Italian Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2 to reach the final at the Paris Olympics.
The Serbian star produced a high-quality display on Court Philippe Chatrier, the same stadium where he won Roland Garros in 2016, 2021 and 2023.
The Belgrade native earned a decisive break at 5-4 in the first set to grab a lead. The two had traded breaks twice in the second set, before Novak found his rhythm and broke twice more to seal the win.
Djokovic is guaranteed career-best Olympic result. His previous best Olympics result was a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing games.
“I have been waiting for this for almost 20 years,” Nole said. “I’ve played four Olympic games, this is my fifth and I’ve never passed semi-finals. I lost three semi-finals in my first four Olympic games. I managed to overcome this big hurdle. I must be honest and say that I was thinking about all the semi-finals that I lost. I played against a player who is in great form and really came out firing from both ends. I just tried to maintain the focus and do what I have to do.”
“This dream is long lived and fought for. I wanted to compete in the finals of Olympic games for such a long time. Representing my country at a global event is a huge privilege and honor that I cherish. Serbia will have a medal on Sunday!”
Match statistics: aces (3-0), double faults (1-2), winners (18-12), unforced errors (23-27), total points won (68-52).
Novak will clash against Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s showdown for gold.
The Spaniard raced past Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-1, 6-1.
Photo: Profimedia