Djokovic notched his 14th victory at the Olympics, leaving his great rival Roger Federer on 13. Novak could have passed the Swiss in Tokyo three years ago, earning his 13th triumph over Kei Nishikori before falling to Alexander Zverev and Pablo Carreno Busta.
The Serb did not miss a chance to pass the Swiss in Paris, kicking off the title chase at Roland Garros and seeking the only notable trophy missing in his collection. Federer embraced four Olympic Games campaigns between Sidney 2000 and London 2012, playing consistent tennis but never winning the gold medal.
Roger had a chance to fight for a medal as a teenager in Sydney 24 years ago, beating four rivals and entering the semi-final.
Roger fell to Tommy Haas in the semi-final and suffered a tight 7-6, 6-7, 6-3 loss to Arnaud Di Pasquale in the bronze medal duel, leaving the event empty-handed.
Four years later, Federer lost to Tomas Berdych in Athens in three tight sets, entering the tournament as the favorite but experiencing an early loss. Roger served revenge four years later in Beijing, beating Tomas and moving into the quarter-final before falling to James Blake in straight sets, missing a chance to seek a medal against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.
Federer played his fourth and final Olympic Games in London 2012, entering his beloved Wimbledon as one of the favorites. Roger scored his 13th and final Olympic Games victory in that epic semi-final duel against Juan Martin del Potro.
Two rivals battled for almost four and a half hours, with Federer prevailing 19-17 in the third set.
Novak Djokovic is the Olympic Games leader with 14 singles victories.
The Swiss entered the title clash against Andy Murray but did not have enough energy to challenge the home favorite, falling in straight sets and winning the silver medal for Switzerland.
Federer missed the 2016 Rio Olympics due to an injury and could not compete in Tokyo three years ago due to knee issues. Novak Djokovic started his Olympic journey in Beijing 2008, notching four wins and facing Rafael Nadal in the semi-final.
Novak fell in three sets before securing a bronze for Serbia over James Blake. After six matches in Beijing, Djokovic embraced the same number in London four years later. Novak reached his second consecutive Olympic Games semi-final, facing Andy Murray.
The Briton scored a tight win, and the Serb battled against Juan Martin del Potro in the bronze medal match. Del Potro defeated Djokovic in straight sets, leaving him without a medal. Two rivals met in the first round in Rio 2016, and Juan Martin prevailed in two tie breaks, leaving Novak in tears while leaving the court.
Djokovic’s massive chance came in Tokyo 2021. Novak was the top favorite for the gold medal and reached the semi-final without problems.
Djokovic built a set and a break advantage over Alexander Zverev before fading from the court, allowing the German to take ten of the final 11 games and book a place in the title clash. Novak could not recover for the bronze medal duel, losing to Pablo Carreno Busta and missing his second Olympic medal for Serbia.
Djokovic made a flying start at the Paris Olympics at Roland Garros, losing one game versus Ebden and sealing the deal in 53 minutes. Novak clinched his 14th Olympic Games triumph, passing Roger and earning a notable record.
Matthew entered the draw as an alternate, competing in singles for the first time in over two years and not risking anything ahead of his doubles duties. Djokovic served well, never facing a break point and mounting the pressure on the other side.
The Serb grabbed 63% of the return points and delivered six breaks from nine opportunities, celebrating his most one-sided Olympic Games victory.
The Aussie struggled to find the first serve in the opening set, losing serve three times and suffering a bagel. Novak broke in the first game of the match after Matthew’s loose volley. The Serb delivered another break with a backhand down the line winner in the third game and held at love a few minutes later for 4-0.
The Aussie sprayed a drop shot error in the fifth game, losing serve for the third time and allowing world no. 2 to serve for the opener. Novak clinched the sixth game with powerful serves, delivering a bagel after 25 minutes.
Djokovic extended his streak with a volley winner in the first game of the second set and held at love in game two, rattling off 14 points and sailing toward the top.
Ebden saved two break points in the third game and earned a game point.
He wasted it and allowed Djokovic to seize the third break chance after a double fault. Novak bounced back from 0-30 in the fourth game, taking four straight points and closing the game with a service winner, rattling off ten games and moving closer to a double bagel.
Matthew stepped in on his serve in the fifth game, holding at love and celebrating his first game of the encounter. Djokovic held at love in the sixth game with a volley winner, forcing Ebden to serve to stay in the match. Novak made another push on the return at 5-1, earning a match point with a volley winner and seizing it with a backhand down the line winner, moving into the second round and securing an Olympic Games record.