Novak Djokovic hurled his racquet into the empty stands and smashed another on a net post as he lost his cool on his way to defeat against Pablo Carreno Busta in the Olympics Bronze medal match on Saturday.
The 20-time major champion, whose Golden Grand Slam hopes were dashed by Alexander Zverev, lost 6-4, 6-7 (6/8), 6-3 as Spain’s Carreno Busta won on his sixth match point.
It is the first time top seed Djokovic has lost two straight singles matches since defeats by Dominic Thiem and Federer at the 2019 ATP Tour Finals.
The match was a gripping encounter played over two hours and 47 minutes in the suffocating Tokyo heat, with both men desperate to secure a medal.
Djokovic saved a match point in the second set tie-break to force a decider and then four more late in the third set.
But Spaniard Carreno Busta, who also knocked out second seed Daniil Medvedev earlier in the tournament, struck 32 winners in an excellent performance.
The 30-year-old finally wrapped up victory in a lengthy final game when his illustrious opponent put a forehand into the net.
‘not sure’
Novak said he is ‘not sure’ about his fitness for the US Open after pulling out of the Tokyo Olympics mixed doubles Bronze medal match with a shoulder injury. The 34-year-old Serb could become the first man to complete a calendar Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969 when the US Open gets under way on August 30.
He admitted that his exertions in Japan have taken their toll but he still hopes to be fit enough to challenge at Flushing Meadows.
“The consequences physically hopefully will not create a problem for me for the US Open, but that’s something that I’m not sure about right now,” said Djokovic.
“But I’m not regretting for giving it all because at the end of the day, when you play for your country, that’s necessary.”
The International Tennis Federation said Djokovic had withdrawn with a ‘left shoulder injury’.