Djokovic enters Paris Olympics quarterfinals; eyes his first gold medal

Novak Djokovic needed a bit of time to assert himself Wednesday at the Paris Olympics before taking control with a five-game run for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Dominik Koepfer of Germany, reaching the Summer Games singles quarterfinals for the fourth time.

A gold medal is pretty much the only accomplishment of significance missing from the resume of Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia who has won a record 24 Grand Slam titles and spent more weeks at No. 1 than anyone in the history of the computerized tennis rankings.

That is why Djokovic, the top-seeded man in Paris, has proclaimed success at these Olympics his priority for the year. His one medal so far was a bronze in 2008 in Beijing.

This time, tennis matches are being played at Roland Garros, the facility that hosts the French Open, which Djokovic has won three times.

One of his triumphs in a final at Court Philippe Chatrier came in 2021 against Stefanos Tsitsipas, the Greek who will be Djokovic's opponent on Thursday. Tsitsipas