Djokovic completes career 'golden slam' after winning Olympic gold
The wait. The obsession. The yearning is over.
Novak Djokovic, at his fifth - and likely final Olympic Games - finally has a gold medal around his neck.
And what a way to do it.
The Serb defeated Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(3) 7-6(2) in a thrilling contest on Court Philippe Chatrier - the scene of three of his 24 Grand Slam triumphs – to add the missing piece of the puzzle to a career like no other.
"Incredible battle," said Djokovic after the final. "I honestly... when the last shot went past him it was the only moment I thought I could win the match. He keeps on coming back and asking me to play my best tennis.
"I don't know what to say. I'm still in shock. I put my heart, soul, body, family, everything on the line to win the Olympic Gold at the age of 37."
That is no understatement. Olympic gold had become the monkey on his back. The desire to deliver the ultimate prize for Serbia in the pressure-cooker environment of Olympic tennis had taken its toll on four previous occasions.
While he won bronze at Beijing 2008, falling to Rafael Nadal in the last four, his fortunes at the Olympic Tennis Event never aligned to his career trajectory at the Grand Slam and in ATP Tour events.
He lost twice at London 2012 - first to Andy Murray, then to Juan Martin del Potro in the bronze medal match - and fell to the towering Argentine again in a shock first round exit at Rio 2016. At Tokyo 2020, the pressure told again with back-to-back defeats to Alexander Zverev, in the last four, and Pablo Carreno Busta in the third-place play-off.
"The kind of failures [I'd had] at the other Olympic Games, where I lost semi-finals and wasn’t able to bring a medal for many years to my country. That was catching up with me," Djokovic admitted. "It was building the pressure even more and more."
At Paris 2024, arguably came the biggest test of all. He had to overcome a player - arguably the most exiting young talents the game has ever seen - who has collected the last two Grand Slam titles, and with the knee strap that serves as a fresh reminder of the knee surgery that followed his last visit to Roland Garros in June.
But Djokovic was at his resolute best in the men's singles final at Paris 2024, fending off a mountain of break point opportunities for the Spaniard to win in two-tiebreak sets, before sinking to his knees and letting the enormity of the achievement sink in.
"It definitely stands out as the biggest sporting achievement I’ve had because of all the circumstances and all the things along the journey that I had to face, encounter, experience and go through," Djokovic added.
The 37-year-old, the oldest to win an Olympic singles gold medal - joins four other players - Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams (who was watching on from the front row alongside ITF President David Haggerty and IOC President Tomas Bach) – in completing the career Golden Slam.
Now, if not before, the Serb stands alone as the greatest tennis has ever seen.