This is Lopez’s first Olympic gold of any kind, and it’s the first-ever gold medal in men’s doubles for Spain (first medal since 2000).
Advertisement
In the process, they confirmed the answer to the age-old question: do you feel better after a close loss, or one when you get walloped?
Sock was previously eliminated from the men’s singles competition with a first-round loss on August 6. The Canadian certainly beat some great players during his singles career, including players that held the No. 1 ranking in Patrick Rafter (x3), Thomas Muster, Andre Agassi (via retirement), and Stefan Edberg. This is the fourth time since the 1988 Summer Olympics that the US has won a medal in men’s singles, with Ken Flach and Robert Seguso taking gold in Seoul and the Bryan brothers taking bronze in 2008 and gold in 2012. In his Olympic debut, Johnson made powerful runs through singles and doubles, and capped off his time in Rio by claiming a bronze medal in doubles alongside Team USA teammate Jack Sock.
In the ensuing game, Nestor and Pospisil had three chances to break Nadal’s serve but were unable to convert and the set eventually came down to a tiebreaker, which the Spaniards won thanks in large part to three costly double faults by the Canadians. The best team did not win today. Partnered with Sebastien Lareau, he and Nestor ruined Todd Woodbridge’s and Mark Woodforde’s swan song.
“It was more emotional yesterday”, said Nestor, 43, after the last match of his sixth, and final, Olympics.
Having secured victory, Nadal and best friend Lopez celebrated wildly, Lopez falling to the ground in tears and the 14-time Grand Slam champion kissing him as he lay flat on his back on the court.
Advertisement
The 30-year-old Spaniard was set to partner French Open champion Garbine Muguruza in the mixed but withdrew just moments before they were to face Lucie Hradecka and Radek Stepanek in a first round tie. He’s still a factor on the circuit. However, an Olympic medal will probably be as good as it gets for him from here on out. If he’s the type that wants to go out on a high note, then one or two more wins in Rio just might lead to a surprise announcement sooner or later.
