The Baseline Awards: Novak Djokovic, Zheng Qinwen fulfill dreams at the Olympics

When it comes to crowning a champion on the game’s biggest stages, tennis has long shown there’s room for all types of winners: from phenoms making their first major statement to seasoned veterans who’ve already built a Hall of Fame-worthy career several times over.

This year, there was no tournament where that was more apparent than the Summer Olympics, where Zheng Qinwen, one of the WTA’s brightest young stars, and 24-time Grand Slam titlist Novak Djokovic found themselves atop the medal podium at the end.

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Despite their lofty spots in their respective draws, neither player was considered an overwhelming favorite. Rather, those roles belonged to the reigning French Open champions Iga Swiatek and Carlos Alcaraz.

Zheng did enter the Summer Games with momentum on her side: The 22-year-old from China came into the tournament on the heels of victory in Palermo, Italy. After breezing through her first two matches, Zheng topped American Emma Navarro in a contentious third-rounder, then followed that up with a three-set win over the retiring Angelique Kerber. In the semis, Zheng faced top seed Swiatek, who hadn’t lost at Roland Garros in three years.

It was the biggest test of Zheng’s burgeoning career, one she passed with flying colors.

Guaranteed of a medal, Zheng made sure the one she got was the gold as she topped Donna Vekic of Croatia in straight sets to pick up her biggest title.

As for Djokovic, this was his fourth shot at the one big prize that’s eluded him—quite literally. The Serb has won the career Grand Slam multiple times over, all of the Masters 1000 titles,  numerous ATP Finals championships and a Davis Cup. At the Olympics, though, his best showing was a Bronze finish back in 2008.

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This year, the Serb was seeded first after Jannik Sinner’s withdrawal. His draw was fraught with potential danger, notably 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in the second round. Taking that result and the score of his first-round encounter with Matt Ebden, Djokovic only dropped a total of 6 games between the two matches. He would go on to beat Dominik Koepfer, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Lorenzo Musetti—all younger, healthier opponents (Djokovic was still in a knee sleeve after his French Open injury)—in straight sets to reach his first-ever Gold Medal match.

Across the net loomed Alcaraz, whom he just lost to in the Wimbledon final. The young Spaniard, fresh off his cross-channel Slam, also entered the final without the loss of a set. Something would have to give: Would it be the player expected to lead the way on the tour for years to come or could the one many consider the GOAT—in the midst of one of the worst seasons of his career—step up in perhaps his most important match?

As it turns out, the veteran still had plenty of fight left.

In a career full of highlights, capturing this for the nation he helped put on the tennis map clearly ranked highly among his accomplishments.

The Olympics, with no ranking points or prize money, is primarily played for national pride, and both Zheng and Djokovic showed how much they were motivated to perform for their respective countries.