Despite the high caliber of play, the 37-year-old Djokovic faced challenges throughout the match on Court Philippe Chatrier.He displayed moments of irritability but remained resolute during pivotal points to secure his victory, Reuters reported.
Top seed Djokovic has reached the Olympic singles final after overcoming his previous semi-final defeats. Despite his impressive haul of 24 Grand Slam titles, an Olympic gold medal has eluded him thus far.
In the battle for the top prize, Djokovic is set to face the Spanish sensation Alcaraz on Sunday. Meanwhile, the bronze medal match will feature Italy’s Musetti, seeded 11th, and Canada’s rising star Felix Auger-Aliassime.
After clinching match point, Djokovic collapsed onto his back as the realization of reaching the final set in.
“It was such a tense match, a lot of emotions and stress coming into this match,” Djokovic said. “I’m thrilled, I want to win gold but already this is a huge result for me.
“I was very nervous before the match and really wanted to get through this one.”
Djokovic’s sole Olympic medal is a bronze from Beijing 2008, where he lost to Rafael Nadal in the semi-final. He was defeated by Andy Murray in the semi-final at London 2012, and in Tokyo, Alexander Zverev prevented him from advancing.
