Carlos Alcaraz vs Novak Djokovic: When and where to watch clash for tennis men’s singles gold

In his first Olympics appearance for Spain, Alcaraz is chasing gold, while veteran Djokovic, in what will likely be his fourth and last Summer Games, is attempting to upgrade from bronze to gold medal

Novak Djokovic vs Carlos Alcaraz at the Paris Olympics 2024 men's singles final

The last time that Novak Djokovic played and won against Carlos Alcaraz on clay court was in 2023, when they met in the semi-final of the French Open. Since then, they’ve played each other four times, with 2 wins credited to each party. Alcaraz’ wins against Djokovic, though, have come at Grand Slam events, both at Wimbledon, including only weeks ago, when he denied the 37-year-old Serbian a shot at a record equalling 8th title at The Championship.

The men’s singles final of the Paris Olympics has Djokovic vying for a second medal and bettering his record from bronze to gold, while Alcaraz, in his maiden appearance at the Games, is looking at giving Spain a gold medal. This could just be the revenge match Djokovic needs to make amends for the drubbing he was handed only weeks ago at the hands of the 21-year-old.

But does he have it in him for what will perhaps be one last hurrah at the Olympics for the 37-year-old? Djokovic’s route to the final has been with straight set wins against Matthew Ebden, Rafael Nadal, Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Mussetti. Alcaraz too has sailed through without dropping a set so far. The difference, though, is that Djokovic is still operating with a knee brace on his right leg, which he’s been sporting since he had surgery on it following a meniscus tear during the French Open only 2 months ago.

In fact, during his match against Tsitsipas, there were worries about the injury having recurred. Djokovic clutched his knee several times, called his trainer to check it out and was pumped with pain killers to finish off the match. He didn’t seem to have that level of discomfort during the semi-final match against Musetti, though.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, is in sublime form. The youngster has already won the French Open and Wimbledon this year, and will look at making the deal even sweeter with an Olympic gold medal around his neck. The predictions are, of course, heavily in favour of Alcaraz, but can Djokovic pull a magic trick out of his hat and turn the tide? Well, we will know on August 4, when the tennis men’s singles final takes place at the Phillippe Chatrier centre court in Roland Garros. The match starts at 3.30 pm IST, which can be streamed live on JioCinema.

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