The recent elimination of world number one Ashleigh Barty, in the first round of Tokyo 2020 It is not the first time that a great medal candidate has been left out of Olympic competition in tennis early. Players of the likes of Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Serena Williams, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic They have fallen in a surprising way in some Games, being out of the fight for hanging a medal. Here are some of the more surprising eliminations in previous Olympics:
The Barcelona men’s team 1992:
The Barcelona clay had a clear favorite for gold: American Jim Courier, reigning two-time Roland Garros champion. There were also other hugely renowned players, such as Stefan Edberg, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, Michael Chang and Michael Stich and Guy Forget among the top eight seeds. None of them made it to the Quarterfinals.
Courier fell in the Round of 16 to the Swiss Marc Rosset, ultimately champion, while Edberg, second seeded, said goodbye in the debut after a resounding defeat against Russian Andrei Chesnokov. Of the top eight seeds, only Goran Ivanisevic made it past the Round of 16, clinching bronze after falling to Rosset in the semi-finals.
Goran Ivanisevic – Atlanta 1996
In a painting that had numerous casualties, such as those of Pete Sampras, Thomas Muster or Marcelo Ríos, the bronze medalist from Barcelona, Goran Ivanisevic, was one of the candidates for gold. However, the second-seeded left-hander lost in the first round to South African Marcos Ondruska 6-2, 6-4.
Marat Safin y Lleyton Hewitt – Sydney 2000
The Russian was the brand new champion of the US Open and the main favorite for gold. The second, a young local star who was constantly rising in the ranking. Both were eliminated in the first round. Safin was surprised by Fabrice Santoro by sets of 1-6 6-1 and 6-4, while Hewitt fell by a double 6-3 against Max Mirnyi.
Roger Federer – Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008
The Swiss arrived as a great candidate for gold in Greece, with titles in Australia and Wimbledon that consolidated him as the best tennis player of the moment. However, a dubious debut against Nikolay Davydenko suggested that he was not invincible. And so it was: Tomas Berdych defeated him 4-6 7-5 and 7-5 in the second round, definitively opening the upper part of the table, which was taken advantage of by a certain Nicolás Massú.
In China, four years later, he was still number one, but with the days numbered, because Rafael Nadal was already scheduled to appear as the best in the world the week after the Games. Fed retaliated against Berdych in the Round of 16, but one round before the medal fight, in the Quarters, he was surprised by American James Blake, who beat him 6-4, 7-6. His consolation was hanging the gold alongside Stan Wawrinka in the doubles.
Agnieszka Radwanska – Londres 2012
After a great Wimbledon, where she reached the final, the Pole came as a great candidate to hang a medal a couple of weeks later on the same sacred lawn. However, the ‘Ninja’ could not pass the premiere at the All England: He fell 7-5 6-7 and 6-4 against the German Julia Goerges.
Novak Djokovic, Serena and Venus Williams – Rio 2016
There was no other player more candidate in history to hang a gold medal than Novak Djokovic was in Rio 2016. Despite falling surprisingly at Wimbledon, the Serbian had won the other four previous Grand Slam, in addition to two consecutive titles both in Australia like the US Open, fast court majors. Everything was laughter and dancing in the Wonderful City, until an ESPN journalist informed him that his rival at the premiere was Juan Martín del Potro. And the face changed with good reason: The Argentine was the one who had left him without his second bronze medal in London 2012. Despite the fact that ‘Delpo’ was not going through his best moment after returning from his wrist injury, Nole knew it was a rival anyone would want to avoid. In a dramatic match, Torre de Tandil won 7-6 double, with both players leaving the court with tears in their eyes.
For her part in the women’s draw, Venus, the eldest of the Williams sisters, was the sixth seeded, regaining her level and had just reached the Wimbledon semifinal. However, she fell unexpectedly in the first round against Belgian Kirsten Flipkens 4-6 6-3 7-5.
Serena, defending champion and who had just won Wimbledon, said goodbye in the Round of 16 against a young Elina Svitolina, who defeated her convincingly 6-4, 6-3. In doubles, the sisters had never lost a match at the Olympic Games, winning gold in Sydney 2000, Beijing 2008 and London 2012. And the surprise was enormous when they fell on their debut against Czechs Barbora Strycova and Lucie Safarova, 6- 3 and 6-4.
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