37 Vs 21: The oldest takes on the youngest in the tennis final at the Olympics

The stage is set for the grand finale of the Men’s Singles Tennis at the Paris Olympics on Sunday.

The dynamic colt is set to face the veteran virtuoso on Sunday in what promises to be an epic showdown and the most anticipated match across all events at the Olympics.

Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz will vie for their first Olympic medal, with one experiencing the Olympics for the first time and the other pursuing a long-elusive gold medal in his illustrious career.

Road to Final

In the Olympic final, ‘37’ will face ‘21'. It does not represent the jersey number as it doesn’t apply in tennis or the rankings of the players but, it indicates the ages of the players as Novak Djokovic, at 37, the oldest finalist, faces Carlos Alcaraz, at 21, the youngest in a final that appears to be a rematch of their recent Wimbledon showdown, where Alcaraz defeated Novak.

Djokovic, already the proud owner of a record 24 Grand Slam titles and has been No. 1 for the most weeks, has yet to secure an Olympic gold.

Although he won bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the next three Olympics proved disappointing for Djokovic, with exits in the semifinals at London and Tokyo, and a first-round exit at Rio.

After winning the semifinal against Lorenzo Musetti of Italy, Djokovic fell back on the clay with his limbs spread apart, heaving a sigh of relief at reaching his first-ever Olympic final and securing a chance to win the medal he desires most.

This relief was also because he achieved this despite a troubling right knee injury sustained during the quarterfinal match against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. The same knee had previously troubled him in the French Open quarterfinals at the same venue, Court Philippe-Chatrier, where he had to withdraw.

After winning the first set comfortably, Djokovic made a brilliant recovery in the second set against the Greek player, coming back from 2-5 down and saving three set points. Despite calling the physio twice for his right knee during this dramatic set, he ultimately won it and the match with scores of 6-3, 7-6.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, did not take a leaf out of Djokovic’s book as he was even better in his semifinal clash against Auger-Aliassime of Canada defeating him in straight sets 6-1, 6-1.

The Spaniard, who already has 4 Grand Slam titles in his short career, including one last June at the French Open on the clay courts of Roland Garros where the final will be played, faced no break points and successfully converted 10 of 11 net approaches.

Alcaraz demonstrated outstanding precision and control, committing just 13 unforced errors, which is 10 fewer than Auger-Aliassime, who lost to Alcaraz at the French Open as well, earlier this year.

The Significance of the Match-Up

Djokovic and Alcaraz each have three match wins in their head-to-head record.

This match could determine who takes the lead. Alcaraz, who was defeated by Djokovic at the Cincinnati Masters and Nitto ATP Finals last year, had the upper hand at Wimbledon this year, replicating his 2023 victory at the same event against Djokovic.

All said and done, tennis fans from around the world are in for a treat as they watch two of their favorite superstars compete for an Olympic medal, each representing their own country.

Nationality doesn't matter to those who love the sport, what counts is watching the oldest and youngest players vie for the shining gold.

Fans will tune in on Sunday for a spectacle as a legendary figure takes on a player with all the qualities to become a future legend, marking yet another mouth-watering finale between these two superstars in less than a month.