Novak Djokovic completed his career Golden Slam as the 37-year-old Serb fought off Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz in a magnificent Olympic men’s singles final battle at Roland Garros on Sunday.

After heartbreak in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo, Djokovic simply would not be denied the one title that had eluded him for so long, winning 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-2) in front of an enthralled crowd on Court Philippe Chatrier.

Top seed Djokovic become only the fifth player to win all four singles grand slams and the Olympic title. The others are Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams, and Steffi Graf.

Djokovic had to deliver one of the finest performances of his career to deny a man 16 years his junior.

“It was an incredible fight and I had to play my best tennis,” an emotional Djokovic said on court as flag-waving Serbian fans sang his name. “I put my heart, my soul, everything to win gold. I did it for my country first, for Serbia.”

In a raucous atmosphere, with soccer-style chants shattering the calm of the adjacent Bois de Boulogne, neither player took a backward step in a ferocious contest.

Alcaraz cracked first in the tie-break and when another tie-break was required to decide the second set, Djokovic again found another gear, sealing victory with a stunning forehand winner down the line.

Djokovic roared to the sky and after consoling Alcaraz at the net, he fell to his knees and sobbed on the court before climbing into the crowd to be swamped by his family, friends and team.

While Djokovic, the oldest player to win the Olympic singles title since the sport returned to the Games in 1988, cried tears of joy, the 21-year-old Alcaraz was inconsolable.

Djokovic, had lost three times in Olympic singles semi-finals and knew arriving in Paris this was his last realistic chance to fill the last remaining space in a trophy cabinet that contains a men’s record 24 grand slam titles.