The legendary Italian tennis player Adriano Panatta declared that Carlos Alcaraz will be “stuck” for “a long time” following his defeat against Novak Djokovic at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The 1976 French Open champion emphasized that Djokovic will need time to recuperate from his “superhuman effort” to win the gold medal and said the loss had “marked” Alcaraz.
In a thrilling gold medal match at Stade Roland Garros, Djokovic’s outstanding performance proved to be too much for Alcaraz, who ended up with a silver medal at the Paris Games.
In an interview after the 6-7(3), 6-7(2) defeat on Court Philippe Chatrier, a distraught Alcaraz broke down in tears.
In his first match after the Olympics, the 21-year-old sensation at the Cincinnati Masters was defeated by Gael Monfils. The world No. 3’s attempt to win a third straight major was then dashed at the 2024 US Open when he lost shockingly to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp in the second round.
Panatta suggested Alcaraz’s Olympics heartbreak could have a lingering effect and also pointed to the efforts of Djokovic and bronze medallist Lorenzo Musetti at the Games.
“I think Carlos will be stuck with the loss to Djokovic for a long time,” the former world No 4 told Domenica Sportiva. “In tennis you are only on the court, in football you can also not play if you are not well, or there are friends who pull you up.
“This thing marked him, as it marked Djokovic from the nervous point of view. He made a superhuman effort to win that final and will need time to recover. [Lorenzo] Musetti has done a lot.”
Ahead of his 2024 US Open campaign, Alcaraz reflected on the disappointment of losing the Paris Olympics final.
“Well, this is one of the most important final of my career, of my life,” said the four-time Grand Slam champion.
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“I know that the Olympic Games is every four years, so I don’t know if I’m gonna have another chance to win the gold. I’m gonna fight for it, for sure, the next Olympic Games.
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But it was a difficult moment to deal [with] for me, you know, losing the gold medal in a really close match that I had opportunities.
“But you know, in front of me, I had a really good player that he was fighting for the same thing as me, and he deserve it.
“So days after the Olympics was, okay, I realise that I won the silver medal, it was a great achievement for me that I have to be proud of.”
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