World
number one male Tennis player Novak Djokovic was left in tears as he was
shockingly eliminated in the first round of Rio Olympics by a
determined Juan Martin del Potro who beat him 7-6 7-6 .
Novak representing Serbia was shocked by Argentina's Del Potro,
who had spent 40 minutes stuck in an elevator in the athletes' village earlier on
Sunday.
Djokovic's shock loss also comes on a day when Serena Williams and
Venus Williams, reigning Olympic champions, suffered their first ever defeat at
the Games in 16 matches.
"This is one of the toughest losses in my career," said
Djokovic, who was chasing a first Olympic title.
"Delpo was the better player and he deserved to win. That's
sport," Djokovic told reporters.
"In the decisive moments, he just came up with some
extraordinary tennis and I have to congratulate him.
"It's very sad and disappointing to go out of the tournament
this early but I am glad that a good friend of mine, who has struggled with
injuries, has won.
"It's one of the toughest losses in my life and career. The
wounds are still fresh."
For Del Potro, this was the sort of night he must have doubted he
would ever experience, who cried as he hugged Novak.
“It was an amazing match for me,” he said.
“I didn’t expect to beat Novak tonight because I know my
situation, I know my problems with my backhand and my wrist, but I played an
amazing match, my forehand worked very great, my serve was okay and the
atmosphere was great too.
“He is a friend on tour,” said Del Potro of Novak. “He is a great
champion. He is a great person, he told me really kind words in the end and I
appreciated it a lot.”
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