Novak Djokovic will be honored with a museum dedicated to him in Serbia after his triumph at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 24-time Grand Slam champion won his maiden gold medal at the Olympics in the French capital.
Djokovic was chasing the last remaining goal of his illustrious tennis career at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Serb found his best form this year and did not drop a set while beating Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Lorenzo Musetti to reach the final. The former World No. 1 faced Carlos Alcaraz, who had beaten him in their last matchup, in the gold medal.
The duo went toe-to-toe in the enthralling final, and Djokovic ultimately prevailed in two tiebreakers to win his first-ever Olympic gold medal. With this win, the Serb became the first player to win all Grand Slams, all Masters 1000, the ATP Finals, and Olympic gold in men’s tennis.
To commemorate his victory in Paris, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced that the government would construct a museum dedicated to his achievements.
In his statement, Vučić noted Rafael Nadal’s museum in Mallorca, Spain, and aimed to build a space honoring one of Serbia’s greatest-ever athletes. He even boasted that Djokovic was a greater player than Nadal.
“Palma (de Mallorca) has a museum dedicated to Rafael Nadal. We will aim to appropriately showcase the contributions Djokovic has made to our country and simultaneously attract tourists. Novak is greater than Nadal in this magnificent sport,” said Vučić.
“It’s my pride to play for Serbia” – Novak Djokovic after winning Olympic gold
After winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics, Novak Djokovic exuded pride in representing his nation on the international stage. The Serb also talked about the stakes for him at the Olympics and how much it meant for him to finally win the gold medal.
“I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37. I finally did it. Everything about this is special, but most of all it is my country. It’s my pride to play for Serbia,” he said after the match.
The 37-year-old has been representing Serbia since 2004. He was one of three medalists for Serbia at the 2008 Beijing Olympics (bronze in men’s singles) and guided the nation to victory at the 2010 Davis Cup.
With his gold medal in Paris, the Belgrade native also became the fifth player in the Open Era to complete the Career Golden Slam, i.e., winning all four Grand Slams and the Olympic gold. Others who have done so include Steffi Graf (1988), Andre Agassi (1999), Rafael Nadal (2010), and Serena Williams (2012).