"Could declare himself emperor of Serbia";"The love he deserves" - Fans delighted by Novak Djokovic's 'incredible' homecoming after Olympic gold win

Tennis fans were delighted to see Novak Djokovic's incredible homecoming after securing the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This was his and also Serbia's second Olympic medal, with the first being a bronze, which he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics after defeating James Blake.

The Serb was the top seed at this year's Games and he began his campaign by defeating Matthew Ebden 6-0, 6-1 and Rafael Nadal 6-1, 6-4 in the first and second rounds respectively. He then overcame Dominik Koepfer 7-5, 6-3 in the third round and Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-3, 7-6(3) in the quarterfinals.

In the semifinals, the 37-year-old outplayed Lorenzo Musetti 6-4, 6-2, and then secured the gold medal by triumphing over second seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3), 7-6(2) in the final.

With this victory, Novak Djokovic completed his Career Golden Slam, joining an elite group of players, including Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams

Recently, Serbia hosted a grand celebration to honor their Olympic medalists. There, Novak Djokovic was warmly welcomed by fans outside Belgrade's Old Palace. He received thunderous applause and chants of his name and the crowd also cheered when he held up his gold medal for them to see.

Novak Djokovic receiving Hero's welcome in Serbia 🐐 byu/Federal-Phrase6240 intennis

Tennis fans took to social media to express their joy over Djokovic's homecoming. One fan humorously suggested that the former World No.1 could declare himself the emperor of Serbia without anyone objecting to it.

"I have always the feeling that Nole could just declare himself emperor of Serbia and no one of his fellow countrymen would object," a fan posted.

Comment byu/Federal-Phrase6240 from discussion intennis

Another fan expressed that the Serb was receiving the love he rightfully deserves.

"Getting the love he deserves ❤," a fan posted.

"That’s incredible!!!! Well deserved!!!! 👍 🇷🇸 👏 🏅 ," a fan wrote.

One fan called the 24-time Grand Slam champion the "King" of Serbia while another fan called him the "national hero."

"The king of Serbia 👑 ," a fan wrote.

"He's certainly a national hero," a fan posted.

After seeing Novak Djokovic taking off his gold medal and holding it up for the people of Belgrade to see, several tennis fans jokingly remarked that it was likely the first time the former World No.1 had removed the medal from around his neck since winning it in Paris.

"First time he took that medal off 😭 😭 GOAT," a fan posted.

"Now we know why he wanted to win that medal so badly," a fan wrote.

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"Felt like Novak Djokovic was a man on a mission" - Andy Roddick on the Serb's gold medal-winning performance at Paris Olympics 2024

Novak Djokovic [Source: Getty]

During a recent episode of the "Served with Andy Roddick" podcast, Roddick praised Novak Djokovic's performance in the 2024 Paris Olympics final. He stated that the Serb, who is known for his banter with the crowd, was unusually quiet as he was hyper-focused during the gold medal match.

“This match, how much it meant to him you could see it, you could feel it with the way he was grunting, crowd yelling between 1st and 2nd serves. Didn't get into it with them, you could feel like there was a weight around this,” Roddick said (18:38).

Roddick expressed that the Serb had willed himself to win the match and in turn the gold medal and said that he had showcased a "masterful performance" to secure the win.

“He willed himself to this win. Served phenomenal. Carlos not getting consistent looks at your serve on a clay court when it's warm out, masterful! This was as masterful a performance as I’ve seen from him . It just felt like Novak was a man on a mission. He willed himself to this win and yeah, he was like an animal,” he added (19:48).

Following his triumph in Paris, Novak Djokovic was set to compete in the 2024 Canadian Open and the 2024 Cincinnati Open. However, he withdrew from these tournaments to seemingly attend celebrations honoring Serbia's Olympic medalists.