Pavic, Mektic win all-Croatia doubles final to claim historic Olympic gold

Mate Pavic and Nikola Mektic beat compatriots Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 to become the first Croatians ever to win an Olympic gold medal in tennis

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic Imago / Panoramic

Simon Cambers

July 30, 2021

With four players from the same nation in the final, Croatia were always guaranteed a first ever Olympic gold medallist in tennis but it was Pavic and Mektic who took the glory.

The No 1 seeds made a fast start and though Dodig and Cilic hit back to level, Pavic and Mektic raced ahead in the deciding match tiebreak, eventually taking it 10-6 to take the gold.

Goran Ivanisevic won Croatia’s only previous medal, with a bronze in 1992.

🥇 The golden boys 🥇#CRO win their first @Olympics gold medal in tennis as Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic win an all-Croatian men’s doubles final!#Tokyo2020 | #Tennis | #Olympics pic.twitter.com/kiQ5IdikBo
— ITF (@ITFTennis) July 30, 2021

Earlier, Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus also made history as they won bronze for New Zealand, their 7-6, 6-2 win over Tennys Sandgren and Austin Krajicek of the USA giving their country its first Olympic tennis medal since 1912.

#NZL’s first tennis medal in 1️⃣0️⃣9️⃣ years!

Marcus Daniell and Michael Venus make history, taking #Bronze in men’s doubles 🇳🇿#Tokyo2020 | #Tennis | #Olympics pic.twitter.com/IMC0Dti9Qg
— ITF (@ITFTennis) July 30, 2021