The German Alexander Zverev (No. 5 in the world) defeated the great favorite in the Tokyo 2020 tennis tournament, the Serbian Novak Djokovic, and will play the Olympic final against the Russian Karen Khachanov (No. 25), who beat the Spanish Pablo Carreño.
Zverev won 1-6, 6-3 and 6-1 at the end of a match lasting two hours and three minutes, leaving the world number 1 without the possibility of achieving the ‘Golden Slam’.
Djokovic, who this year had won the three ‘bigs’ already contested (Australia, Roland Garros and the US Open), was looking for Olympic gold to choose to repeat the feat of Steffi Graff in 1988, winning all four Grand Slam tournaments and the gold medal in some Games.
Djokovic, however, would have had to prevail in New York to match Graff, which will remain the only time that happened in tennis history.
Today is a really tough day. I feel terrible now. He was leading with a set and then with a break he began to command the match, with great service and attacking, “said Djokovic.
“Playing with someone of his level and quality it is simply very difficult to win a match, I hope to feel better tomorrow,” added the Serbian, who never won the Olympic singles title.
The world number 1, who had 22 consecutive victories and seemed unbeatable this season, should not give credit to what happened on the court: he had the game won when he broke Zverev’s serve and was 3-2 up in the second set against him. German gamer, completely desperate.
But the German must have thought then that he had nothing to lose and started firing cannon shots with his racket, finding a way to hurt Djokovic for the first time in the game.
Helpless, the Serb watched as Zverev played him eight straight games to win the second set and go 4-0 in the third, too much of an advantage to think of a miracle.
«I am sorry for Novak, but he has already won 20 Grand Slam and I don’t know how many Masters series. He is the best player of all time. I know I was looking to make history, that I was behind the ‘Golden Slam’ but I’m happy to get into the final. It seemed impossible to beat him in a tournament like this, ”Zverev declared after the match.
– Carreño for the bronze –
Zverev will play on Sunday against Khachanov to see who will succeed Briton Andy Murray, Olympic champion in London-2012 and Rio-2016, while Djokovic and Carreño will fight on Saturday for bronze.
Carreño was very far from the level exhibited the day before, when he clearly defeated the Russian Daniil Medvedev, and barely had a break ball throughout the game, which he also did not take advantage of.
The tennis player who competes for the Russian Olympic Committee (for the sanctions against this country after uncovering a vast doping scandal) was the absolute owner of the match thanks to his serve, with 10 ‘aces’ and 93% of the points won with his first service, before which Carreño could do nothing.
“I have not been like yesterday,” admitted the Gijón after the game, showing “sad because it was a great opportunity to be in the final, but you have to get mental because there is still a chance” to win a medal, said after his match the Spanish.
Djokovic could equal the bronze achieved in Beijing-2008, but he will still not have a gold, since also, together with his compatriot Nina Stojanovic, he lost his semifinal in the mixed double against the Russians Aslan Karatsev and Elena Vesnina, who will play the final against his compatriots Andrey Rublev and Anasatasia Pavlyuchenkova. (AFP)
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