The gold medal matchup for the men’s singles tennis at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been decided, with top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia facing off against second seed Carlos Alcaraz of Spain.
In the first semifinal, Alcaraz defeated No. 13 Felix Auger-Aliassime of Canada. In the second semifinal, Djokovic defeated No. 11 Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, setting up another major final clash between the two top seeds, meaning Auger-Aliassime will face Musetti in the bronze medal match.
Alcaraz and Djokovic have faced each other six times, with a record of 3 wins and 3 losses. They have also played on clay courts twice, with a record of 1 win and 1 loss. Alcaraz is expected to do even better in 2024, having beaten Djokovic in the Wimbledon final this year. Djokovic last beat Alcaraz in Turin in November 2023.
Auger-Aliassime has always ranked in the top 20, but no one expected him to win in the semifinals. His only Grand Slam semifinal appearance was at the 2021 US Open. Alcaraz quickly outplayed his opponent on Friday, winning in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Alcaraz made 88% of his second serves and converted five of nine break points in his dominant victory.
Alcaraz was widely considered the favorite to win after top players like Jannik Sinner (injured), Kasper Ruud, Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev all lost by the end of the quarterfinals. Both Ruud and Medvedev faced Auger-Aliassime and both lost, although Ruud pushed his lead to three sets.
It all worked out well for Alcaraz. He beat the last remaining American, Tommy Paul, in the quarterfinals, then beat Auger-Aliassime handily. He’s also riding a wave of momentum from winning the French Open on the clay of Roland Garros in June. He then won his second consecutive Wimbledon title, beating Djokovic in the process. He’s not the top seed, as he was throughout the tournament, but he is the guy to beat.
Djokovic came into the tournament without an Olympic gold medal. The 37-year-old Serb has 24 Grand Slam singles titles, more than anyone else, and has won three times on the clay courts of Roland Garros, most recently in 2023. Djokovic has been plagued by injuries and is without a Grand Slam win in 2024, the first time that he has done so since 2017.
The 22-year-old Musetti made a surprise semifinal appearance after defeating Zverev, the 2020 Olympic champion. Musetti, ranked 16th in the world going into the Olympics, was fresh off a Wimbledon semifinal appearance, his best Grand Slam result to date.
He dominated Djokovic in the second set, with both players breaking serve multiple times, but ultimately was unable to seal the victory, losing in straight sets 6-4, 6-2.
Musetti and Auger-Aliassime will compete in the bronze medal match on Saturday before Cheng Keum Wen and Donna Vekic play in the women’s singles gold medal match, followed by Djokovic and Alcaraz in the men’s singles gold medal match on Sunday.
2024 Olympic Men’s Singles Medal Pairings
Bronze Medal: No.11 Lorenzo Musetti vs. No.13 Felix Auger-Aliassime
Gold Medal: #1 Novak Djokovic vs. #2 Carlos Alcaraz
