For a man so accustomed to winning, Novak Djokovic's Olympic record simply didn't add up.

Now, after a thrilling 7-6(7/3), 7-6(7/2) win over Carlos Alcaraz in the Paris Olympics gold-medal match, the 24-time grand slam champion finally has the only piece of hardware as yet missing from his trophy cabinet.

Djokovic owned the Roland Garros court against an opponent 16 years his junior, not with outstanding athleticism, but with nerveless play in the biggest moment.

Three years earlier, Djokovic's Tokyo campaign ended in a shocking on-court breakdown as he lost to Pablo Carreño Busta in the bronze-medal match, pulling out of the mixed doubles bronze contest soon after.

This time, the emotions were perhaps just as raw and there were still plenty of tears as he fell to the red clay in Paris before leaping into the stands to embrace his family, but it was entirely understandable.

Sixteen years after claiming what we all assumed would be the first of many Olympic medals with bronze in Beijing, Djokovic finally earned his second and the first in the only colour he really wanted.

For a man who is often accused of being a bit too eager to be liked, the camera's close-up on his shaking hand after match point showed the reality of the moment for him.

After Alcaraz's straight-sets win over Djokovic in the Wimbledon final three weeks ago signalled the official changing-of-the-guard in the men's game, Djokovic looked utterly unwilling to submit to that narrative. But nor would Alcaraz genuflect to the seniority of the Serb.

And so the first set went on, for more than an hour-and-a-half.

Alcaraz fought off five break points, including storming back from 0-40 down in the fourth game of the match, while Djokovic weathered eight, serving his way through six deuces to eventually reach 5-4.

Djokovic appeared to be the one just hanging on in the match, with Alcaraz's athleticism, energy and shot-making drawing more than a few rounds of applause and approving wry smiles from the Serb.

But, when they reached the tie-break, Djokovic showed the poise of a man who's played 37 major finals, rattling off four straight points from the change of ends to take it 7-3.

Both players looked exhausted between sets — Djokovic taking a comfort break to change clothes while Alcaraz sat on the court perhaps wondering how the man he so summarily dispatched on the London grass last month was suddenly taking his best shots on the clay at Roland Garros.

As the second set began, Alcaraz looked tired and uncharacteristically frustrated, but still neither player could break the other's serve.

The match carried on as it had started, although this time neither gave the other a sniff — the only break point came in the third game and was quickly snuffed out by an Alcaraz forehand winner.

As the match approached the three-hour mark, the inevitable became clear once more as they traded holds to love and got back into the tie-break.

Alcaraz, this year's French Open and Wimbledon champion, looked exhausted as his opponent rose to the occasion, powered by the knowledge this fifth Olympic campaign would surely be his last, and closed it out 7-2.

Alcaraz will rue three unforced errors in the final breaker and while it is assumed the 21-year-old four-time grand slam winner will have plenty more chances, both his and Djokovic's post-match tears are evidence of the unique standing and challenge of Olympic glory.