Novak Djokovic finally ended his wait for Olympic gold on Sunday as he overcame Spanish prodigy Carlos Alcaraz in the gold-medal match at Roland Garros. The Serb was already widely regarded as the best player of all time but perhaps put the debate to bed with the straight-sets victory in the French capital.

Djokovic stands alone at the top of men’s tennis with 24 Grand Slam singles titles – two more than his closest rival, Rafael Nadal, while he has also spent more weeks at number one in the world rankings than any other player. One thing he hadn’t done up until this year was claim a gold medal for his country at the Olympics – something Nadal, Andy Murray and Roger Federer (in doubles) had all done.

Djokovic’s Victory

Olympic glory at the fifth attempt

However, he added to his tennis legacy with a somewhat surprise win over Alcaraz in the French capital. Alcaraz went into the match as the favourite to claim gold, having beaten the Serb comfortably in July’s Wimbledon final, while there were doubts over Djokovic’s fitness after he seemingly aggravated a knee injury in his quarter-final victory over Stefanos Tsitsipas.

Djokovic has been playing with strapping on his knee ever since he withdrew from the French Open in June, but showed no signs of any ailment as he produced two clutch tie-breaks to emerge victorious, winning 7-6 7-6.

While the Olympics itself does not award prize money to medallists, many of the athletes are remunerated by the countries they compete for – and Serbia is one of the most generous countries at the Games when it comes to rewarding their successful athletes with prize money.

Djokovic received £175,000 from Serbia for winning the gold medal and reportedly opted to donate that fee to humanitarian causes. Djokovic is known for his philanthropy, and he set up the Novak Djokovic Foundation in 2007 – an organisation aimed at ensuring all children in Serbia have access to pre-school education.

Djokovic’s Relationship with Serbia

Legend lived through tough times

Writing on Instagram after beating Alcaraz, Djokovic said: “I could never give up on the dream of winning this gold medal, just as the people of Serbia have never given up on me. Together, we believed in the impossible. While I may be the one holding this medal, I want every Serbian to know that it belongs to all of us.

“Representing our nation is the greatest honour in the world. This medal, these moments, this life – none of it would have been possible without your unwavering support. This is because of you. This is for you.”

Djokovic’s relationship with his country is deeper than most, having grown up during a period of conflict for his country. Djokovic was just a young boy when he was forced to hunker down with his family in a Belgrade bomb shelter during NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. His emotion was evident after winning Olympic gold, as he fell to the ground in tears before embracing his family in the stands.