WORLD number two and 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic added an elusive Olympic medal to his CV of accolades overnight, defeating third seed and in-form Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz. The rising Spanish star won at both Roland Garros and Wimbledon – the latter over Djokovic – but at the Paris Olympics it was the Serbian who took home the chocolates with a nail-biting 7-6 7-6 triumph.

Djokovic has achieved more statistically than any other tennis player in history, and the Greatest of All-Time (GOAT) discussion often brings up fierce opposition depending on the camp you support be it Djokovic, Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal. However when all careers are said and done, few could deny that from a pure numbers perspective, Djokovic has them covered.

The former world number one – who spent the most time at number one in history – has now added perhaps the only accolade not on his résumé by taking home the gold, having only one bronze from four previous Olympics despite making three semi-finals.

Entering the match as the underdog – another rare feat for Djokovic – the Serbian was able to go blow-for-blow with Alcaraz through a whopping two hours and 50 minutes. That match length alone for a two set contest suggests it to be one of the best battles in recent times, and the clash definitely lived up to the height.

Nothing could split them through each of the first 12 games per set, with Djokovic batting away six break opportunities from his opponent, while Alcaraz saved eight. Both serves were running hot, and while Alcaraz’s clay prowess and power on the surface was evident by his 33 winners to 15, he also hit 76 errors to 49, of which 43 were forced from a hungry Djokovic.

There are not many ‘firsts’ for Djokovic in the twilight of his career, but achieving Olympic gold in what would surely be his last Olympics, certainly passed the litmus test. He won 78.3 per cent of his first serve points in the match, with Alcaraz not far behind (72.3 per cent), and the stats across the board showed there was nothing to really split them.

In the end, the man who had made tiebreakers his own over the course of almost two decades capped off his Olympic career with another couple of wins in the bag. Unsurprisingly the 37-year-old said he was overwhelmed at finally achieving his dream.

“We almost played three hours for two sets. It was an incredible battle, incredible fight,” Djokovic said post-match. “When the last shot went past him, that was the only moment I actually thought I could win the match. I mean I believed that I could win, but to actually win it, because he keeps on coming back. He keeps on asking me to play my best tennis.

“I don’t know what to say. I’m still in shock, honestly. I put my heart, my soul, my body, my family, my everything on the line to win Olympic gold at age 37. I finally did it.”

Djokovic became just the fifth player in history to complete a Golden Slam, joining Nadal and Andre Agassi from the ATP Tour, and Steffi Graff and Serena Williams from the WTA Tour. It also meant the Serbian now has 72 ‘big titles’ with seven ATP Finals, 40 ATP Masters 1000 trophies and an Olympic gold to go with his 24 Grand Slam wins, pulling 15 ‘big titles’ clear of Nadal.

The win allowed Djokovic to pull ahead in his head-to-head with Alcaraz (4-3), bouncing back from a forgettable Wimbledon final which was perhaps the Serbian’s worst in his illustrious career. For Alcaraz, he described it as a “painful way to lose” but credited Djokovic with his “great” performance.

“I had my opportunities… I couldn’t take them,” Alcaraz said. “Novak is playing great, he really settled in his position, in the difficult moments he increased his level, he played unbelievable.

“I’m really disappointed but honestly, I’m going to leave the court with my head really high. I gave everything that I had fighting for Spain. It was everything to me so I’m proud the way that I played today.”