The world No 1's bid to win the 'Golden Slam' has been erased after Alexander Zverev came back from a set and a break down in Tokyo
Friday 30 July 2021 12:50, UK
Novak Djokovic's bid for a 'Golden Slam' is over after defeat to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The world No 1 was aiming to become the first man to win all four majors and an Olympic singles gold medal in the same calendar year. Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to have achieved this feat previously.
After a productive series of matches in Tokyo, and Djokovic flying through the opening set of the semi-final, his bid to create more tennis history looked secure.
However, 24-year-old Zverev showed an exceptional level of determination and character to turn his own game around and triumph 1-6 6-3 6-1.
Zverev will now face Karen Khachanov in the final. The world No 1 must dust himself off and meet Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in the bronze medal match.
Djokovic had breezed through to the last eight, losing just two games against Kei Nishikori in the quarter-finals, but Zverev had also been playing well so this semi-final always looked like Djokovic's biggest hurdle.
The world No 1's other big opponent was the humidity in Tokyo, something he has not coped well with.
He persuaded organisers to shift the start of play back from 11am to 3pm to avoid the worst of the heat, but conditions were still extremely difficult despite the match not beginning until nearly 5pm.
Djokovic, who was on a 23-match winning streak taking in French Open and Wimbledon titles, looked set for another easy victory when he raced through the opening set and broke Zverev for 3-2 in the second.
From there, the match turned on its head, as the powerful German started to achieve the seemingly impossible and hit through his opponent.
He won a remarkable eight games in a row before Djokovic finally stopped the rot to hold for 1-4 in the decider. However, a lacklustre final game showed that the world No 1 knew the game was up.
The two shared a warm embrace at the net, and after the match, Zverev shared the words that they exchanged.
"I told him that he's the greatest of all time, and he will be," Zverev said.
"I know that he was chasing history, is chasing the Golden Slam and was chasing the Olympics, but in these kind of moments me and Novak are very close.
"I feel sorry for Novak, but he's won 20 grand slams, 550 Masters series or whatever, you can't have everything.
"It's an amazing feeling knowing that you're going to bring the medal back to your house, back home to Germany. It seemed it was impossible to beat him at this event, so I'm very happy right now. But yet there's still one match to go."
