Tennis fans everywhere saw many shocking twists and turns at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. From Germany’s Alexander Zverev outclassing his opponents, to rising Swiss star Belinda Bencic capturing the gold medal – these matches more or less served as a foreshadowing of what we might expect in upcoming Grand Slams. However, the biggest news to come out from the Ariake Tennis Park was seeing world number 1 Novak Djokovic’s dreams of securing the elusive Golden Slam cruelly shattered into pieces.
Golden Slam no more
It was a shocking loss to Zverev, considering the Serbian ATP world number 1 was well on his way to capturing all of the year’s Grand Slam titles. After already winning the Australian Open, the French Open, and his historic 20-title record at Wimbledon, his loss to Zverev must have been a bitter pill to swallow. Djokovic’s winning streak was cut short when the German produced a sensational comeback in the epic two hour and three minute match.
The loss was undoubtedly one of -- if not the biggest -- loss of his career, especially since the Tokyo Olympics didn’t feature the two other G.O.A.T. contenders, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. What seemed like an easy breeze to capture the gold became one of his most challenging in the two years he has been playing with such consistent tenacity. Capturing the gold medal and winning the upcoming US Open would have meant Djokovic earning the distinction of becoming the first man to achieve a Golden Slam - a feat accomplished by women’s tennis legend Steffi Graff in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
After the loss, Djokovic faced Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta for the bronze medal match where he lost his cool and constantly channeled his ire to his racket, before bowing out 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3. It was a match that probably prompted many to wonder if Djokovic would be in shape to perform his 100% best at the US Open by the end of the summer. After all, he still has the rare opportunity of achieving a Calendar Slam which happens if a player wins all major Grand Slam titles in a calendar year.
Bigger things for Zverev
Meanwhile, Zverev displayed a different type of court warrior during the Olympics as he blasted his way through the finals. After disposing of Djokovic, the ATP world number three ranked 24-year old defeated Russian Karen Khachanov 6-3 6-1 to become the first German to win the gold in a men’s singles tournament for his country. Aside from Graf and Zverev, Boris Becker and Michael Stich won the doubles gold at the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Despite loud and disturbing bullhorn and shouting noises emanating from outside the Ariake Tennis park due to demonstrators holding a protest against the Games, Zverev maintained his composure throughout the one-hour, 19-minute contest. He managed to break Khachanov in straight sets with his thundering backhand winners and excellent stamina and footwork.
Earlier in the Games during his match with Djokovic, Zverev came out attacking the top seed but could not score on a breakpoint during the first game. Djokovic was spectacular in his defensive footwork on the stretch, taking control of a rally that he capitalized on with a brilliant crosscourt pass beyond Zverev to break in game four. Throughout the next three games, the Serbian showed dominance over his younger opponent, unleashing a third ace on his second point.
The tides turned when Zverev earned the chance to serve from a weak drop shot from Djokovic that landed on the net. Taking advantage, he blasted a crosscourt forehand to give him a second set point. From then on, Zverev maintained his momentum into the third set, making it to five games in a row. Another break finally left Djokovic’s chances for a Golden Slam dimmer as Zverev continued with his big serves until he eventually captured the win 1-6, 6-3, 6-1. For fans of the young German superstar who is yet to win his first Grand Slam title, things are about to go upward owing to the boost in confidence this win has probably given him.
Bencic’s first major
Finally, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland captured the gold in women’s singles tennis after defeating Marketa Voundrousova of the Czech Republic. Bencic got a rare opportunity for a ‘two medal-one Olympics’ win as she also qualified for the women’s doubles final but settled for silver. The singles final match was tightly fought especially in the third set when Bencic had to seek a medical timeout and get her big toe bandaged. Bouncing back, she broke Vondrousova’s serve during the eighth game to take control of the game, forcing her opponent to make costly errors in the final game to win her first major title, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
The Swiss world number 12 champion was ecstatic, saying the gold was certainly one she will cherish most, even after winning four titles in the women’s tour. It was apparent that she was a bit uncomfortable during the early parts of the match due to the heat and with her shots quite ill-timed. After a strong first set, Voundrousova turned up the pressure to overwhelm Bencic in the second set. Somehow, the medical timeout gave the Swiss star ample time to recollect her bearings and get the break to force the win via her powerful groundstrokes. As it turns out, Voundrousova and Bencic are friends and practice partners and said they both talked about facing each other in the final which made things a bit easier to swallow for the Czech world number 14.
After the singles final, Bencic went on to play for the doubles final with partner Viktorija Golubic, and against the favored tandem of Czechs and three-time Grand Slam champions Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova. The match was set at 7-5, 6-1 for the Czech Republic and its first Olympic gold in the sport. If Bencic captured the gold with her partner, she would’ve only been the fourth woman to win top medals in both women’s singles and doubles tournaments.
Krejcikova and Siniakova also captured the 2018 French Open and Wimbledon titles, while Krejcikova continues a stellar 2020 with wins in both the singles and doubles tournaments at this year’s French Open.
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