One For The Ages

OLYMPICS 
Djokovic’s fairy tale

WHAT HAPPENED? Novak Djokovic is doing the impossible; what else is new? In what might be one of the craziest performances of his career, as let us remind you, the man tore a meniscus in Roland-Garros, found a way to drag that leg to the final of Wimbledon, yet didn’t look that fine in the quarter-finals in Paris. But despite it all, Djokovic delivered one of his best matches ever to deny Carlos Alcaraz, who missed too much to win that battle, that gold medal. In straight sets but still 2h50, 7-6(3), 7-6(2). That match point, with the massive chance taken on what I like to call a “GTFO” forehand, said everything about how the Serbian (who now leads 4-3 in the H2H) put his entire guts into this match. Djokovic broke his post-Beijing-bronze curse after the heartbreaks of London 2012 (lost in the semis and then lost the match for the bronze), Rio 2016 (1st round), and Tokyo 2021 (lost in the semis and then lost the match for the bronze). A masterpiece.

WHAT DOES THE HISTORY BOOK SAY? By reaching the final here, Djokovic (37 years 74 days) and Alcaraz (21 years 91 days) were, respectively, the oldest and youngest players to contest the men’s singles gold medal match since tennis returned to the Olympics at Seoul in 1988. With that win, Djokovic became the third oldest player in history to win a singles gold medal at the Olympics – after Arthur Gore, who won the men’s indoor singles gold medal in London in 1908 aged 40, and Major Ritchie, who won the men’s outdoor singles gold medal in London 1908 aged 38. Djokovic also became the fifth player in history to win the singles title at all 4 Grand Slam tournaments and the singles gold medal at the Olympics, after Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams. He won the bronze in Beijing in 2008 and so now the gold in Paris, owning the only two medals ever won in tennis by Serbia. He also recorded his 19th Olympic singles match win and extended his record for most Olympic singles matches won since Seoul 1988.

WHAT DID THEY SAY? 
Novak Djokovic, whose reaction after the match point summed it all up in terms of overwhelming emotions, was obviously over the moon: "It's hard to describe. I'm just so proud to be a part of an elite number of athletes that managed to win gold for their countries in their respective sports. They probably are the only ones that can really understand this feeling. I was so blessed to win everything pretty much there is to win in my sport, but this is something different. This supersedes everything that I've ever felt on the tennis court after winning big trophies. It's just incredible joy." He added to The Athletic, “It was a long journey, many, many years of dreaming to be holding the gold medal. I knew it was going to happen, I just didn’t know when.”

Carlos Alcaraz: "It was emotional. I couldn’t think things clearly. It wasn't the result that I wanted, but I have to be really proud of myself for the level that I played during the whole tournament, and for the level that I played today. I had a really difficult and tough opponent in Novak. He played an unbelievable match, from the first ball and to the last one, so I have to give credit to him. It means a lot to bring a medal to Spain. To have a medal is an incredible feeling that I have to enjoy. I just need to realise that not every day I win a medal. I felt that I let all the Spanish people down a little bit, in some way. I know that most Spanish people wanted my gold medal, and myself as well. I worked for it, I went for it, and it couldn’t happen. That’s why I got emotional at the end. I couldn’t make all the Spanish people proud. Right now, thinking more relaxed, I made them proud, I made them believe in a certain way, and I’m proud of the way I represented my flag. I’m going to learn from these situations.”

Lorenzo Musetti, who played before Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani, became the second Italian player to win a medal at the Olympic Tennis Event, after a wait of 100 years (Uberto de Morpurgo won the bronze in Paris in 1924). "It was one of my dreams to win a medal," he said. "A medal is a medal, no matter which colour. I think the important thing is that I fought hard for that. I cannot describe what I’m thinking tonight."

In the doubles, Australians Matt Ebden and John Peers won the gold.

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What can you expect when you order from Purple Carrot? Fully customizable plans - pick from any combination of meal kits, prepared meals, and grocery items - plus the option to skip a week or cancel whenever you want. No matter which options you choose, you’ll always get nutritious meals that never sacrifice flavor.

What’s on the menu? This month, they’re offering five new light, fresh, and vibrant meals packed with seasonal produce. From Sesame Orange Tofu with Roasted Green Beans & Sticky Rice to Gnocchi Al Pesto with Charred Asparagus & Lemon Zucchini, there’s a mouth-watering option for every taste.

Get Your Seasonal Meals Before They’re Gone. Pick Your Purple Carrot Plan Today.

OLYMPICS 
Zheng, The First Ever

WHAT HAPPENED? The One Who Beat The Queen Of Clay Won. And it sounds logical in the end. Zheng Qinwen made history in Paris by becoming the first ever Chinese player to be crowned Olympic champion in tennis. She beat Donna Vekic (6-2, 6-3), one of the players of the summer, to do it. When you look back at the crazy match she nearly lost against Angelique Kerber and the drama she had to overcome after beating Emma Navarro… An incredible week all around for the Australian Open finalist. Also, that selfie was cute!

WHAT DOES THE HISTORY BOOK SAY? Zheng Qinwen became the first player, woman or man, to win a singles gold medal at the Olympic Tennis Event for China. She won the second gold for China in tennis after after Li Ting/Sun Tian-Tian’s gold medal in women’s doubles at Athens in 2004. The previous best singles performance by a Chinese player at the Olympic Tennis Event was Li Na’s taking the fourth place at Beijing 2008. Zheng clinched here her fourth Tour-level singles title and the third on clay after winning twice at Palermo (2023, 2024).

Donna Vekic didn’t succeed in becoming the first Croatian woman to win a medal at the Olympic Tennis Event, nor to win Croatia’s second gold medal after Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic in doubles in Tokyo. But by reaching the final here, Vekic has recorded Croatia’s best performance in women’s singles at the Olympics. The previous best performance by a Croatian player in women’s singles at the Olympic Tennis was Iva Majoli’s quarterfinal finish in Atlanta in 1996. Vekic would be up there on my “prize of the heart” list.

WHAT DID THEY SAY? 
Zheng Qinwen: “I had a lot of nerves [in the Australian Open final]. I feel my legs were super heavy. I couldn’t perform 50 percent of my level. But this final was different. It’s because of this calmness and patience that I was able to get the victory. I see [other athletes] winning gold, silver and bronze medals for China. And I want to be one of them", said Zheng Qinwen. “I started to realize I should be proud of myself”, she told me in Doha. And yes, Qinwen, you did yourself proud in Paris, that’s for sure!

Donna Vekic: “I’m extremely proud and happy to have won a medal for Croatia. It’s been my lifelong dream. Yesterday has been one of the happiest days of my life. Of course I’m a little bit disappointed because I wanted gold, but I’m still so happy and so proud.”

Iga Swiatek: “I’m proud of myself I could do it. I’m happy (my Dad) was here to see it. I think if I wasn’t playing (for the bronze) I would cry (for) over a week. So I needed to get it together. I probably cried for like six hours. It was really tough. Usually I’m able to have the distance to all of it and just understand that it’s only one part of my life but this time it was like somebody really broke my heart. Because of the fact that I am No. 1 for such a long time and I won so many tournaments, I literally felt that I could handle everything. And this tournament showed me that’s still not the case. I was maybe a little bit too arrogant with myself because I thought that I’ve handled so much pressure before that I’m going to handle this one as well. And now I’m motivated to work even harder, and I think I’m going to have a bit more humility with everything, so I think this actually can end up with me working better in the future."

In the doubles, Jasmine Paolini and Sara Errani won the gold. In the mixed doubles, Katerina Siniakova showed she’s one of the greatest doubles players of all time, clinching the gold in mixed doubles with Tomas Machac (her ex or former ex: they still won’t tell 😁 ) after the gold she won with Barbora Krejcikova in Tokyo. This concluded a crazy sequence this summer after winning Roland-Garros and Wimbledon.

QUESTION OF THE DAY 
The Big One?

You were 85,71% to let me know that you didn’t like the idea of players wearing microphones on the court.

BUSINESS / MEDIA 
Is the NBA rights drama about to spread?

• If you work in sports or are interested in sports, a huge chance is that you’ve been following the whole NBA rights deal drama. Warner Bros. Discovery lost wow big on that, and is still fighting. And so one can wonder if this shift to Amazon and streaming in general could give other sports some ideas. That’s what Fast Company decided to discuss with an attorney specializing in sports broadcasting rights. “On some level, even with the proliferation of cable networks over the past 30 years, there was always a ceiling to the number of broadcasters available to sports rights owners, and only so much competitive tension between them. With the rise of streaming, though, a fresh crop of nontraditional players entered the space in the past decade—and it’s an extremely well-capitalized crop. Amazon Prime, Netflix, and Apple TV+ have all dipped their toes into live-sports broadcasting, and the competitive tension between them has dramatically increased the value of those coveted live-sports rights. In just about every way, it’s a whole new ball game. (…) While streaming continues its aggressive move into live events—the last remaining stronghold of how TV worked in the 20th century—a lot of the traditional media players will likely have more existential considerations on their hands than whether they can make a competitive offer to air live sports.”
  

• Do you own a business, or are you launching one? Are you hiring and needing to let it be known? Do you have an event to promote? Do you run a tennis academy and need to spread the word about your programs? If yes to all of this or a part of this, don’t hesitate to reach out at [email protected] and see how we can work together so you can run an ad in the newsletter.
  

• Sue Bird, Alex Morgan, Uzo Aduba. The new Avengers? Well, we’re still waiting on Marvel, but in the meantime, the trio is set to launch a limited series at CBS Studios named “Summer of Gold”. Bird and Morgan will be executive producers of what will be a podcast about “about the American female athletes who dominated the 1996 Atlanta games” but this is now also going to be turned into a limited series. This TV adaptation will be produced by Aduba and CBS Studios. And one more time, you all can see how sports and women’s sports are The Trend in the entertainment industry right now.

MENS SANA IN CORPORE SANO 
And now they come for their coffee

Were these Games the last caffeinated ones? Could be! Why? Well, because it seems some Olympians are using caffeine as a performance enhancer. Do you also know about voluntarily inhaling (it’s called rebreathing) carbon monoxide to replicate what altitude does to the blood cells? Oxygen tents? Ketone drinks? Well, these are all barely legal ways to try to enhance performance, and they’re all targets for bans. BBC Science Focus has a very interesting piece about all these methods and how they could or not be banned soon.

In other health-related news, Ons Jabeur had to withdraw from the tournament in Washington due to a right shoulder injury, but she’s for now still in Toronto’s draw.

Power Your Plate With Purple Carrot’s Plant-Based Meals

Want to finally reach your daily recommended amount of plants in your diet? Want to enjoy them without scouring the internet for recipes or scavenging the grocery store shelves for dozens of ingredients?

Purple Carrot has the answer.

With fully plant-based, chef-prepared meals and meal kits that provide the exact amount of ingredients you need, plus an ever-growing “plantry” filled with healthy staples, Purple Carrot makes it easier than ever for you and your family to eat more plants - without spending hours in the kitchen each week.

What can you expect when you order from Purple Carrot? Fully customizable plans - pick from any combination of meal kits, prepared meals, and grocery items - plus the option to skip a week or cancel whenever you want. No matter which options you choose, you’ll always get nutritious meals that never sacrifice flavor.

What’s on the menu? This month, they’re offering five new light, fresh, and vibrant meals packed with seasonal produce. From Sesame Orange Tofu with Roasted Green Beans & Sticky Rice to Gnocchi Al Pesto with Charred Asparagus & Lemon Zucchini, there’s a mouth-watering option for every taste.

Get Your Seasonal Meals Before They’re Gone. Pick Your Purple Carrot Plan Today.

SOME BREAK POINTS… 
The Great, The Good and The Ugly

The Great: Sebastian Korda and Paula Badosa made the most of their decision to skip the Olympics by winning the Washington titles. Korda got the last word on (the more and more impressive) Italian Flavio Cobolli, who had triumphed over Ben Shelton in the semi-finals (4-6, 7-5, 6-3), in three sets (4-6, 6-2, 6-0). Korda’s famous tennis father won the same title in 1992, and so it’s the first time that a father and a son win the same ATP title. “This is probably the most special moment of my career so far,” said (young) Korda, who saved two match points in his third round against Thanasi Kokkinakis.

Paula Badosa, who doubted earlier this year that her back condition would let her keep playing, had a crazy good week through that Washington draw. She clinched the title against Marie Bouzkova (6-1, 4-6, 6-4), who had beaten Aryna Sabalenka in the semi-finals (6-4, 3-6, 6-3). “One year ago I was on the couch, so it's a big difference now. Now I'm an athlete again."

The Good: Jannik Sinner is ready for battle again. The World No.1 arrived in Montréal to defend his Masters 1000 title after he had to withdraw from the Olympics (tonsilitis). “It broke my heart not to be able to go to Paris, the Games were one of my main goals of the season. Musetti won a bronze, so an Italian is happy and I am happy for him,” he said. But now the Australian Open champion is ready for the next big stretch of the season. “Me and my team, we try to make the process, our daily routine, to make everything in the best possible way and just try to be ready for every challenge that comes up. I’m very happy to come back here. It started off from last year semis of Wimbledon and then I came here for the first Masters event I won. I’ve been very consistent throughout one year and that’s at least what we will try to do in the next months also,” he told the ATP. Sinner yet may have a tricky draw in Canada.

The Ugly: I felt awful for Denis Shapovalov when I saw that he got disqualified in Washington, and so lost all the points he earned until then. I talked with him so many times since the clay season about how he now needed to build his ranking back up post knee injury, and about how he also decided to skip the Olympics because of that. This mattered a whole lot to him. Yet, rules are the rules. You just wish that 1) they’d be used on every player the same way and 2) that they’d show some heart when needed. I don’t think Shapovalov deserved to lose so much on that day for what he did.

PLAY HARD, TRAIN HARD, DRESS THE PART 
We see you, Lululemon

Felix Auger-Aliassime and Gabriela Dabrowski stole the show on that podium, and although these may have been bronze medals around their necks, it was definitely a golden moment for Lululemon. The brand really nailed the official kit for Canada at these Games. Apparently, those kits aren’t only a fashion statement, they’re also made by a lot of science. “The kit features adjustable styles like the Convertible Pant & Jacket, as well as SenseKnit™ technology and sweat-wicking fabrics to enhance breathability through ventilation. The kit was designed to support more bodies and more abilities, with features including magnetic-close zippers, pull-on loops, and sensory touch guides. The two adaptive styles – the Seated-Fit Carpenter Pant and the Seated-Fit Packable Rain Poncho – are intentionally designed to deliver functionality and comfort in a seated position. Products with four-way stretch fabrics, customizable drawcords, and newly engineered pocket shapes and placements help athletes move and personalize styles.”

EDITOR’S PICKS 

You can find some of the picks here, too, including my go-to newsletter for anything tech*, and the one for everything NIL*.

READ: I still have this one on my “To Read” list, and I cannot wait to finally get to it. If you’ve already read it, let me know if it is as good as it seems to be! “The Ministry of Time,” by Kaliane Bradley. I obviously know you love your tennis, but are you also loving your women’s soccer? If yes, the Goalside Gossip* newsletter is made for you: give it a shot!

LISTEN TO: In this podcast, Front Office Sports* wonders how much the Olympics can change the trajectory of an athlete’s career.

TRAVEL TIP: You’re on a budget but still would love to visit two of the prettiest Adriatic cities? The Times has a great feature on how to “ferry” your way from Croatia to Montenegro and back again, for under $65.

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