Analyzing Novak Djokovic's 'incredible effort' in Olympics win | The French Connection | NBC Sports

Novak jovic are you surprised by his gold medal uh when over Carlos alcarez Sam I'm not I maybe a little bit surprised I mean it was incredible to have Novak jokovic and Carlos alcarez playing the final there's one thing that Novak jokovic didn't have a gold medal and you can see I mean watching the match I remember watching with my wife and telling her late in that second set that NOC is putting every ounce of his mental energy his physical energy into this match right now I think he needed to win that second set and you saw when he won that match the emotional energy that that like spewed out of his body um it was a really special thing to see it was one of the coolest moments as like a tennis fan to watch that I've ever had to see what that meant to him you could see that it meant more to him than some other Grand Slams that he's won in the past so it was a a special moment I was so happy for him and you were were you commentating that I was yeah it was yeah that's pretty cool yeah it was yeah I mean listen I'll be honest it was you know one of my coolest moments as as a as a commentator working in the sport um to be able to call that final with alcarez and jovic was you know it was a it was a to call it with Mary cillo was pretty pretty pretty special you know we didn't have to do much we just sat back and watched two of the greatest you know Carlos alar is arguably going to be one of the greats of the game we'll see how many Grand Slam he ends up with um by the end of his career um but Novak just what he was able to do Sam I was more like overwhelmed when I saw him when in the semifinal when he won the semifinal he I mean you saw his vulnerabilities throughout this tournament because matches that he even when he played rougher when he was up a set in for one two breaks you're like oh it's over and then he visibly choked like he played some shocking tennis and we're not used to that from him and then in the semi-finals to see him like go to the ground and like gesture the way he did to make a final we don't see that from him and he said it after the match where he's like I finally get a chance to play for a gold because he's never played for a gold in all his fifth Olympics that's how much it meant to him I mean incredible effort in the end from him just unbelievable and he played so solid and I thought the one thing I don't know about you I thought the one thing alcar a mistake he made he didn't step up on return I thought he was playing way too deep on the second surf in particular and you know what this feels like I mean you don't because you had such a great surf but the vulnerability of Novak's second surf sometimes is in question right and I felt like alcarez wasn't putting any pressure on it whatsoever and he was hitting like 70 mph second serves just in the middle of the box and it wasn't getting punished and I think in the end that that hurt alcarez and Novak standing up on the Baseline even though it was hurting him through the set because he couldn't get the kicker that's what helped him in the big moments it was amazing how he turned it around in the tie break just one or two little points that ended up winning him the match no I think I think your spot on it was pretty cool to see with an athlete I feel like the entire year Novak was telling us look my goal this year is to get a gold medal and then to go out there and not have a great year in terms of Novak standard and then get to the Olympics and fight through some of those tough matches along the way to the gold medal and then to actually get the gold medal do that thing that you've been telling people the whole year that like hey this is the number one thing I want to accomplish was a amazing thing to see I I I said this on a you know another podcast earlier in the week like I'm not necessarily a crier I was like wiping away some some tears at the end seen how much it meant to Novak jokovic yeah yeah amazing I mean he joins now an exclusive Club of gold medal champions in singles because because you know Rafa um won it in singles and doubles Stephie of course did what we probably will never see in anyone's lifetime winning all four grand slams and then winning the gold medal but Novak joins you know Andre Agy the likes of these players um and Roger Federer is not even on that list although Roger won a gold medal in doubles he never did this in singles and so that's something that uh I'm sure Novak is really happy that he's got over Roger as well people don't care though we always by friends and I always joke if you an Olympic gold medalist may that be in in doubles mix doubles singles or you're on the men's water po team Women's Basketball team when you're announced at an event you're just announced as a gold medalist they don't specify the event that you that you won so you know yes the tennis insiders know that Novak has the singles and Roger has the doubles but the world just knows they both have a gold yeah well talk to the Novak and Roger fans about that because they'll let you know exactly how they feel right um so ratfield Nadal he's con you know he's confirmed out of the Olympics um that he won't be playing the US Open I'm just curious on your thoughts where does this go now for for for Rafa you know because I I mean I didn't think he was going to play the US Open but but what is there left for him now to do he's playing the Lea cup but what what do we expect here I don't know you know it's like it we've kind of been wondering this talking about this I feel like since the French Open which was gosh the first week of June so it's we're coming on three months now of is Rafa done is Rafa not done um you know I think he said he's gonna play in the labor cup is that g to be his last event is he want to go leave the same way Roger left I kind of want him to have his last tournament be a different one than Roger but I I think he's still unsure and I I kind of feel for him at this point I think so much of him wants to keep playing obviously passionate about tennis loves the game but he just doesn't know how his body's going to react day to day and he's hopefully he gets a a sign at some point from his body from his his mind his friends and family because I I want him to get uh you know that closure that he hopefully deserves yeah it's a it's a really tough one um obviously we saw you know some players at the the at the Olympics I I'll get to that um when we wrap up the Olympics a little bit but um yeah it was it was pretty incredible to see him play in the singles and the doubles um you know it's a shame that he had to play Novak second round but but yeah this is where do we go from here with Nadal clearly hardcard is a big issue for him you know for his body so clearly that's why one of the reasons he's not playing on the hardc court but you can't wait for a year for clay I mean so the next question is where does he go out like you said um and hopefully it's in a way that he wants it to be way and it's a little surprising to me that he he pulled out he made the announcement of not playing the US Open so far ahead of the US Open four five weeks prior to the US Open said I'm not going to play who you don't know how you're going to feel in five weeks maybe he's going to feel good and he could play but obviously his body's telling him he can't do it and so it's a it's a bummer for everyone yeah um we'll wait and see uh fingers crossed at some point we're going to know um pretty soon um what do you think of the exchange of the Emma novaro situation at the Olympics uh with chin W I mean it was bizarre and I was doing that match and I actually commented after the shake of hands oh that's nice that they had a nice moment at the net like it looked like they were just chatting but it was a little ugly there uh I don't know Sam what your thoughts are on this but um it was very interesting because I've not heard uh in the locker room that Jiang isn't a bad person in the locker room so I mean obviously haven't been in the locker room in a while but um that's that was an interesting situation Emma Navaro who's usually so laid-back and chill both players you don't hear much from either of them ever yeah right they're both quiet especially Emma Navaro she is the most maybe you know her and Jessica Pula you see them you don't see them have extreme highs extreme lows very levelheaded but uh yeah it was interesting the entire US Women's team you saw a little fight from Navaro KOCO goof had some fight Daniel Collins always has a little drama of sorts you know I think Jessica Pula maybe felt left out she was the only one that didn't have an altercation on the Team USA Women but uh you know I think it's something that was just a a little moment I think it's it's past kind of now no one's gonna talk about it but it but it was surprising especially since em and Naro is seems like the most quiet sweetest calmest kind of one of the female players on the tour right now yeah exactly and obviously uh she spurred on chin win to go and win a gold medal which was phenomenal um I just really quick want to touch on um that situation I mean going through and winning the gold medal beating e shant that we didn't think was possible to actually beat someone like EA at the at the French Open uh you know where we played the French Open where she's undefeated over the last like three years and she's won the tournament four times there so that was a spectacular win for her but also I wanted you know a lot of pressure on oson to to win the gold there I mean that that was like Rafa at his prime not winning a gold medal at roling gas if they had the Olympics him in singles so that was a bit of a shock but congrats to her to to get through and win not only be eager but then to follow it up in the final against Donna vage who also amazing month of tennis for her semis the wimon and finals of the Olympics so it was pretty spectacular tournament on the women's side just a l lot lot more as per usual unexpected finalists right and to win the final after beating igos fanch it's almost tougher sometimes to win that final you beat igos Fon who everyone had penciled into win the gold medal Y and then you go into the gold medal match as the overwhelming favorite into to come maybe not overwhelming but heavy favorite and to come through and and win that after winning a big match you know what it's like after you have a big upset in a tournament sometimes that next match is the hardest one so it was you know good on her for focusing digging down and finishing what she started winning that gold medal