World number one Novak Djokovic lost his bronze medal face-off versus Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta on Saturday (July 31). After Djokovic surrendered the momentum despite the first-set lead versus Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals, on Friday (July 30), Djokovic was expected to make amends and at least win his country, Serbia, a bronze medal (in singles category) in the face-off versus Carreno at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
However, Djokovic lost the encounter to Busta by 4-6, 7-6 (8-6) and 3-6 to crashed out of the showpiece event without a medal in his singles campaign. Coming to the Tokyo Olympics, Djokovic had all the form and momentum in his grasp following his French Open and Wimbledon 2021 triumph. However, his wait for his first-ever Olympic gold medal continues.
Djokovic didn’t start well by conceding the opening set to Carreno Busta, 4-6. The second and penultimate set was much closer, with the Serbian getting into some rhythm as it went into the tie-breaker. Carreno Busta had the advantage at 5-3 in the tie-breaker, but he failed to cash in as Djokovic won three successive points to bounce back into the contest.
It seemed that the 34-year-old will storm his way back into the encounter, as he has a knack for making last-minute comebacks., However, the script didn’t remain the same for him this time around.
Djokovic also displayed his frustration as he lost his temper in the initial stage of the third and final set, smashing his racquet after missing out on an easy point. Eventually, it seemed clear that his inability to close the contest versus Zverev got to him as he looked nowhere close to his best in the bronze medal face-off.
Djokovic, who equalled his arch-rivals Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer in terms of Grand Slam wins (20) earlier, had a chance to win his first-ever Olympic gold medal. However, he would be dejected with his overall journey in the marquee event.
For the unversed, both Federer and Nadal have won two medals apiece in the Olympics. While Federer has one gold and silver, Nadal has won gold medals in both men’s singles and doubles category, respectively. Meanwhile, Djokovic has a bronze medal which he won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
