
He's come close to grand slam victories before, and now, 24-year-old Alexander Zverev has a standout victory to his name.
The German comfortably defeated the Russian Olympic Committee's Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-1 to take home the gold medal in the men's singles tennis on Sunday.
The 79-minute victory at the Summer Games, coming after his battling victory over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, means that he is now an Olympic champion -- a feeling Zverev says he can't "compare."
"This is so much bigger than anything else in sports, especially in tennis. This is an incredible feeling me for me right now," he told the media afterwards.
"There is nothing better than this. You are not only playing for yourself, you are playing for your country. The Olympics are the biggest sporting event in the world.
"The feeling I have now, and will have -- nothing will be better."