21-time Slam champion Novak Djokovic revealed what was the most painful defeat of his career. Nole told to Graham Bensinger: “The defeat against Juan Martin del Potro at the Rio 2016 Olympics was the most heartbreaking moment of my entire career.
I had come to Rio with huge ambitions and I was having an exceptional moment. I was number 1 in the world and had won four Grand Slams in a row. I was at the peak of my career in terms of results, sensations and confidence in my game.
I felt it was the right time to win the gold medal. Unfortunately, I was unable to handle that enormous pressure load. I went out in the first round against del Potro, who then won the silver medal.” The Argentinian played a fantastic match against Novak, scoring 41 winners and archiving the practice thanks to two tiebreaks.
Even the Tokyo Olympics did not bring luck to Djokovic, who surrendered to a great Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
Will Novak Djokovic be in New York?
Novak Djokovic has been the great ruler of the last decade, as well as breaking the hegemony of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
The Serbian phenomenon has broken records from his eternal rivals and has established himself as one of the best players of all time. 2022 has been quite turbulent for Nole so far, also thanks to her choice not to get vaccinated against the Coronavirus.
The former world number 1 was unable to defend the title at the Australian Open earlier this year and was expelled from the country after an absurd soap opera. For the same reason, Novak also had to give up the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells and Miami in the spring.
The 35-year-old from Belgrade lifted his season by triumphing at Wimbledon for the seventh time in his career and equaling his idol Pete Sampras. Nole waits to know whether or not he will be able to fly to the United States to compete in the US Open.
