Yahoo Finance Novak Djokovic Won't Get Golden Slam as Alexander Zverev Beats Him to Make Olympic Gold Medal Match
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images Alexander Zverev
Novak Djokovic won't get a Golden Slam this Olympics.
On Friday, Djokovic, who is seeded No. 1 in the world, fell to Germany's No. 4 ranked Alexander Zverev in a tennis men's singles semifinal. Zverev won in three sets, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1.
The 24-year-old has now secured his spot in the gold medal match against Russian Olympic Committee athlete Karen Khachanov on Sunday at the Tokyo Olympics.
Djokovic — who won the bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics — will now play for the bronze against Pablo Carreno Busta.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Zverev said, "He's the greatest player of all time, he will win the most Grand Slams out of anybody on tour, but I'm also happy that I'm in the final."
He added, "It's incredible beating the best player in the world undoubtedly right now and in this season."
Djokovic, 34, was vying for a feat dubbed the Golden Slam, which means he will have been the singles champion at all four Grand Slams and the Olympics in a single calendar year. He's already taken the titles at Wimbledon, the Australian Open and the French Open; the U.S. Open starts Aug. 30 in New York.
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The first — and last — tennis player to complete a Golden Slam was Steffi Graf, who did so in 1988.
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Just a week before the Games' start, Djokovic seemed uncertain of his participation, telling reporters he was "50/50." At the time, he cited the coronavirus restrictions that prevented athletes from bringing his full team with him to Tokyo. He also said he was frustrated that he would not be able to watch other athletes perform live.
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Days later, he reversed course and tweeted that he was "proudly" joining Team Serbia.
To learn more about Team USA, visit TeamUSA.org. Watch the Tokyo Olympics now on NBC.
