In a day that already saw the Williams sisters eliminated in the opening round of women’s doubles, the top seed in the men’s singles bracket, Novak Djokovic, also fell. Djokovic, the favorite to win gold, fell to unseeded Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, 7-6(4), 7-6(2). The last time del Potro beat Djokovic on a big stage like this was ... at the London 2012 Olympics in the bronze medal match.
2016 Olympic tennis results: Novak Djokovic upset in 1st round by Juan Martin Del Potro
Djokovic fell to del Potro in straight sets on Sunday.
Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
del Potro was the winner of the 2009 US Open, but that was the high point of his career. Since then he has declined from his high ranking of No. 4 in the world and is currently not ranked in the top 100 players. But he does occasionally flash glimpses of the high level of play that made him a Grand Slam and bronze medal winner, and he did that on Sunday.
Djokovic is the most dominant man in tennis today, but he didn’t look it against del Potro. It wasn’t a comedy of errors or anything, but Djokovic struggled to find his range despite that typically being a strength of his. Djokovic is much better today than he was in London, and after winning five of the last seven Grand Slams, he was looking forward to a gold medal to cement his legacy as this era’s most dominant player.
del Potro will advance to the second round and will play again on Tuesday.
See More:
