The day after his semi-final defeat against Alexander Zverev, the world number 1, lost to Pablo Carreño Busta in the small final (6-4, 6-7, 6-3). The Serbian can still glean bronze in mixed doubles, with Nina Stojanovic.
Annoyed, frustrated, “the invincible” Djokovic (again) fell from the top this Saturday. He suffered the law of an excellent Pablo Carreno Busta and lost the match for bronze. A second consecutive defeat for the world number one after the failure in the semi-final against Zverev. As in London in 2012, the man with 20 Grand Slam titles fails at the foot of the podium. Carreno Busta brings Spain his first tennis medal since 2008, when Rafael Nadal was crowned Olympic champion.
Read also :Olympics: frustrated, Djokovic swings his racket in the stands
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The 11the world has logically imposed on its sixth match point. In the first set, the world number one missed two balls 2-0 before giving up his commitment to 2-2 and losing 6-4. In difficulty on his serve (40% of first serves only in the first act), the Serbian regained intensity in the following act. In courage he saved a match point in the tie-break of the second set and won the right to a decisive set. In combat. But nervous, very nervous, the Serbian cracked at the start of the last set. At 40-A in the first game of the final act, the Serbian first swung his racket in the stands, having won a point at the net by his opponent on a filed volley. More frustrated than ever, the Djoker screamed his vexation after conceding the break (0-2) and smashed his racket on the ground, after having spent his nerves on the net … A small burst of weight that would not have denied the one of the subject matter specialists Benoit Paire.
The Serbian came to his senses at the end of the match but the solid Carreno Busta held on. Djovic erased four new match points at 3-5 but, very efficient on the service, Carreño Busta held on to get the best result of his career.
Decidedly the solid Spaniard brings out of his gongs the best player in the world. A little less than a year ago at the US Open, the Serbian, big favorite of the event, had cracked at the end of the first set of his 8e of final against Carreno Busta. A bullet thrown involuntarily into the head of a linesman, an exclusion and a hell of a disillusionment. And these Olympics which were to consolidate the ultra domination of the Serbian on the competition, turn into a fiasco. A chocolate medal in singles and some doubts, perhaps to come, in view of the US Open where Djokovic will aim for a historic Grand Slam calendar, that is to say winning the four Majors in the same year. An unprecedented feat since Rod Laver in 1969. However, all is not yet lost in Tokyo. The insatiable man can still get on the podium in the mixed doubles event, where he will play the final for third place later in the day, with Nina Stojanovic. A small consolation for this immense champion.
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