Djokovic, who also lost to Del Potro in the bronze medal play-off at London 2012, had no answer to the power of the Argentinian, with the 2009 US Open champion sealing a 7-6 (7/4) 7-6 (7/2) victory in nearly two and a half hours.
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A hugely hard match from both del Potro and Djokovic’s perspectives – each had the misfortune of drawing the other in the first round.
Djokovic, the top seed in Rio, left the court in tears.
– The Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, fell victim to the Czech pairing of Barbora Strycova and Lucie Safarova in the women’s doubles, the former losing their ideal Olympic record in the process.
The 2009 US Open victor Del Potro has dropped to 145th in therankings after several wrist operations but was considered the mostdangerous floater in the field and the toughest draw Djokovic couldhave had. For the other, a stunning loss that leaves him waiting four more long years for a chance at an Olympic singles gold medal. He’s a great champion.
In a day of upsets, the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus, also lost for the first time in an Olympics doubles match as their hopes of winning a fourth successive title were dashed. But in the context of his story, it’s important to remember that del Potro previously ranked as high as World No. 4 back in 2010.
It’s a bad day for people who are usually very good at tennis.
Throughout the match, Djokovic had trouble keeping up with Del Potro’s size and power.
Strycova was not even originally scheduled to play doubles with Safarova in Rio but they joined forces after Karolina Pliskova withdrew from the games.
However Argentinian Juan Martin del Potro saw his preparation time cut by 40 minutes, when he was stuck in an elevator.
There was one blot on the day for Murray as he and brother Jamie were knocked out of the men’s doubles by Brazil’s Andre Sa and Thomaz Bellucci. Two points later, del Potro punished another forehand for a 5-0 lead. With Djokovic losing to del Potro, you have to wonder who the result reflects on more: does it reveal that there is something wrong with Djokovic right now or does it show that JMD is a player who is finally getting back to his best. Earlier in the year, Del Potro had played at Wimbledon, his first major in two and a half years.
Djokovic is the most dominant man in tennis today, but he didn’t look it against del Potro.
Murray won his eighth straight over Viktor Troicki 6-3, 6-2 in his gold defense opener.
“It’s one of the toughest losses in my life and career”.
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Nadal, playing his first match in two months, made the second round with a comfortable 6-2, 6-1 win over Federico Delbonis of Argentina.
