Novak Djokovic took gold in his Olympic final against Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday afternoon, beating the Spaniard 7–6 (3), 7–6 (2) on Court Philippe Chatrier.

After being denied the gold in Beijing, London, Rio, and Tokyo, Djokovic finally won top honours.

Djokovic was the top seed for the tournament, but Alcaraz was the favourite for many. The first set lasted one hour 33 minutes with both saving a combined 12 break points.

Both players were emotional after the match with Djokovic first consoling Alcaraz at the net and then joining his friends and family in the stands. 

‘I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day’

After the match, Djokovic said his gold medal was arguably his biggest success ever. “I’m overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling right now,” he said. Asked “if this was the missing piece to the puzzle,” by NBC on Court Phillipe-Chatrier after his triumph, Djokovic responded: “Yes, it is. It is.”

Alcaraz was philosophical about his loss and said he was confident that his time would come. “I will bring the gold medal to Spain one day,” he said. Djokovic finds himself in illustrious company, joining Steffi Graff, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Serena Williams as gold medal winners.

OFM Sport/Ilse Smalberger mvh/cg