Novak Djokovic defeated Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets on Sunday to claim his maiden Olympic title
Neither player took a backward step in a ferocious contest in which the first set alone lasted one hour 33 minutes
Eventually, after two tiebreaks, the Serbian beat Alcaraz 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) to become just the fifth player to complete a career Golden Slam
Djokovic shattered Alcaraz’s bid to add gold to the French Open and Wimbledon titles he has already pocketed this summer
The win allowed him to join Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Steffi Graf and Serena Williams as the only players to win all four Grand Slams and Olympic singles gold
He also became the oldest singles champion since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988
An emotional Djokovic celebrated by holding aloft the Serbian flag on court
Before clambering into the players’ box to embrace his wife and children
“I put my body, my family on the line to win gold and finally I did it,” said Djokovic after the contest that stretched for two hours and 50 minutes
Meanwhile, a distraught Alcaraz said: “Three hours, a big battle with tough moments. It’s very painful to lose.”