Olympic champion Novak Djokovic’s ex-coach Marian Vajda wrote a heartfelt message to congratulate the Serb on winning the elusive gold.
Novak Djokovic, Marian Vajda (Images via Imago, CNN)
Novak Djokovic‘s ex-coach Marian Vajda congratulated the Serb after he won the Olympic gold medal in men’s singles for the first time. On Sunday (August 4), Djokovic defeated Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in the final on Court Philippe-Chatrier in Paris in straight sets and became the third player in men’s tennis to complete the career Golden Slam.
Vajda, the coach from Slovakia under whom Djokovic played for 15 years and won 20 Grand Slam titles, was emotional when he saw the Serbian hit the last winner and become the Olympic gold medalist for the first time. The 59-year-old took to Instagram to write a heartfelt message to congratulate his former pupil.
Djokovic now has two Olympic medals, with his first being a bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It was also his first title of the season in his second final. Before Djokovic, Rafael Nadal (who was knocked out in the second round in singles by the Serb) and Andre Agassi completed the career Golden Slam in men’s tennis, while overall, Djokovic became the fifth player to do so as Steffi Graf and Serena Williams are also a part of this elite list.
Novak Djokovic was outclassed by Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final they played last month. However, Djokovic, who had surgery on his knee due to his meniscus tear during the French Open, played tennis of the best quality in the Olympics final.
The encounter in Paris was Djokovic’s second clash with Alcaraz at Roland Garros as they met last year in the semifinals of the French Open, which Djokovic won. Djokovic now leads 4-3 in their head-to-head meetings.