Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai) - HT Navi Mumbai Live
Djokovic’s ‘golden slam’ dream runs into Zverev
TOKYO: With his Golden Slam bid over for at least another three years, Novak Djokovic rested his head on Alexander Zverev’s shoulder as his German opponent and friend consoled him.
“I told him that he’s the greatest of all time,” Zverev said. “I know that he was chasing history.” Djokovic, the top-ranked Serb who had seemed invincible in all of the biggest tournaments this year, lost to Zverev 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 Friday in the semi-finals of the tennis tournament at the Tokyo Olympics. Djokovic was attempting to become the first man to win all four Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic gold in the same year. He won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon this year and needed the Olympic and US Open titles to complete the Golden Slam collection. “I feel so terrible right now,” Djokovic said, adding: “I can’t be positive right now.”
Steffi Graf in 1988 remains the only tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam. But Djokovic can still go after the calendar-year Grand Slam by winning the US Open — something no man has accomplished since Rod Laver in 1969. “He won 20 Grand Slams,” Zverev said. “So you can’t have everything.
“At the end of the day he’s the greatest of all time, because he’s going to win the most Grand Slams, he’s going to win the most Master Series, he’s going to be the longest at the world No. 1, and I’m sure 99% that this is the case when it’s all said and done,” Zverev said.
Zverev’s opponent in the goldmedal match will be Karen Khachanov. Djokovic will play two bronze-medal matches on Saturday. He’ll face Carreno Busta in singles then will team with Serbian partner Nina Stojanovic in mixed doubles against Ash Barty and John Peers of Australia.
On a humid and muggy evening, Djokovic committed a series of uncharacteristic errors after a strong start as Zverev started to win free points with his big serve. Djokovic was up a set and a break in the second before Zverev won 10 of the final 11 games. “It’s just sport. He played better,” Djokovic said. “I got to give him credit for turning (the) match around. He served extremely well. I mean I was not getting too many looks on the second serve. My serve just drastically dropped. I didn’t get any free points from 3-2 up in the second. My game fell apart.” Djokovic hadn’t lost since getting beaten by Rafael Nadal at the Italian Open final over two months ago. Djokovic’s only Olympic medal was a bronze in singles at the 2008 Beijing Games — his first.
On Friday, Djokovic came back on the court little more than an hour later with Stojanovic in the mixed semi-finals at Tokyo and lost that match, too, getting beaten by the Russian duo of Elena Vesnina and Aslan Karatsev 7-6 (4), 7-5.
It was the third consecutive day that Djokovic played two matches. Viktor Troicki, Serbia’s Olympic team coach, said earlier on Thursday that the entire team was against Djokovic playing mixed doubles because they didn’t want the event to tire him out with so much on the line. “I’m sure he’ll get stronger after this and hopefully learn a few things,” Troicki said on Friday.