Paris 2024 men’s singles winners & losers: Novak Djokovic gets his gold – but how will Carlos Alcaraz feel about silver lining?
A dramatic men’s singles event at Paris 2024 has come to a close – with a memorable final closing out the event.
Novak Djokovic finally claimed Olympic gold with an enthralling victory over Carlos Alcaraz, putting past Games hurt and recent issues behind him to claim the title that had previously eluded him.
Now the dust has settled, we look at the big winners and losers from the event.
Big Winners
Novak Djokovic: After some heartbreaking Olympic defeats, Djokovic defied his 2024 struggles – and being 37 years old – to finally claim Olympic gold. It was an emotional and well-deserved triumph for arguably the greatest male player in history.
Lorenzo Musetti: Musetti extended a stunning season for Italian tennis by becoming their first-ever tennis medallist after taking bronze. It also continued a summer resurgence for him – watch out for the 22-year-old throughout the rest of the season.
Tommy Paul: US star Paul lost in the last eight – but that was by far the toughest test Alcaraz faced on his way to the final. The American continues to impress this year and has made himself one of the toughest players to beat.
Felix Auger-Aliassime: Fourth is a tough place for the Canadian to finish, but he did get a mixed doubles bronze medal – and eye-catching wins over Medvedev and Ruud must give him confidence.
Olympic Games News
The 5 players to complete a career Golden Slam as Novak Djokovic joins Rafael Nadal on list
Big Losers
Casper Ruud: Twice a finalist at Roland Garros and back in form this year, expectations were fairly high for Ruud. A quarter-final exit on his favourite surface felt like a missed opportunity.
Stefanos Tsitsipas: Tsitsipas had Djokovic in the ropes in the second set of their quarter-final but, rather predictably, failed to take advantage – and has lost 12 straight to the Serbian. He looks far away from contending for the biggest titles in the sport.
Alexander Zverev: Having won in Tokyo three years ago, Zverev will always be an Olympic champion. But, it felt like he had a real chance to win a second gold after the form he’s been in this year, and a quarter-final loss to Musetti came as a huge surprise.
Daniil Medvedev: Medvedev has not won a title since Rome last year, and a surprise defeat to Auger-Aliassime in round three meant early exits in all three formats for him. Something is not quite clicking for him at the moment.
Winner…and loser?
Carlos Alcaraz: Alcaraz left with a silver medal, but we all know he wanted gold – and emotions were evidently high after a tough defeat in the final. He certainly has time to win gold at one point, but Djokovic’s journey shows how tough that can be.
