“I'm an Olympic champion.” The first thought that went through my head after the match ball in Tokyo was a very banal one.

This is exactly what I've been working towards for the last 20 years of my life.

And no one will ever be able to take that away from me.

An Olympic gold medal is the greatest thing that can be achieved in sport.

To me, it's even more valuable than winning a Grand Slam tournament.

It's just like that.

And it will always be that way.

Of course, I would have preferred to experience the moment of victory with an audience. You want to feel the emotions that can only arise from the spectators in the stands, you want to really enjoy the moment. When I arrived at the Olympic Village, however, I was welcomed by the entire German House downstairs at the entrance. We did that with all athletes who won medals. It was definitely something special.

In general, I have to say that the typical Olympic feeling in the Olympic Village arose despite the special circumstances at these games. Here we were athletes among ourselves. We were all together here and spent a lot of time together. And of course we also followed the other athletes and their sports. Not live on site, but in front of the television. We all cheered for the Germans. Despite all the circumstances surrounding the pandemic, the Olympics was a very special event.

In a way, the win against Novak Djokovic in the semifinals was even more intense than my success in the final. That was definitely one of the most emotionally upsetting matches I've ever played. I mean, I was 1: 6 and 1: 3, so with a break, behind. And against the best player in the world. You had the feeling that no one could beat him in an important match this year. After all, by this time he had already won the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon and thus had the chance of the Golden Slam. Coming back in this match was another very special moment for me.

With my victory over Novak, I was sure of a medal.

A medal for Germany.

That made the feeling even more special.

It now has a place of honor in my apartment.

In the living room, to be precise.

The only problem is: my brother has a key.

And sometimes he takes them out.

So it happens that sometimes I don't know exactly where she is at the moment.

Recorded by Pirmin Clossé.