2 Responses to olympics12zverev_djokovic

1. Voo de Mar says:

   March 25, 2025 at 4:20 pm

   Points won by each set: | 20-30, 32-19, 30-18 |
   Points won directly behind the serve:
   30 % Zverev – 22 of 71
   20 % Djokovic – 16 of 78

   [1] Djokovic’s arduous plan to get two gold medals in Tokyo, had been perfectly unfolding until it turned into a sudden disaster… In singles, he had easily won four straight matches (two quick matches in mixed doubles too), and led 6-1, 3:2 on serve against Zverev [5], being broken just once through four and a half encounters in singles. In the 6th game of the 2nd set Zverev hit some of his best backhands that day and it completely turned the tables – the German gained 8 games in succession, so he broke Djokovic four times in a row, not being pushed to defence, simply he took advantage of Djokovic’s bad service disposal imposing his superiority in baseline exchanges. The conditions in Japan were exceptionally tough (~30°C, ~80% humidity, empty stands due to Covid), and the 10-year-older Serb paid the price for playing with 100% commitment from the first to the last point in all his six previous matches (his female partner Stojanovic wasn’t a WTA star in doubles so he carried additional pressure on his shoulders). A few hours after the Zverev loss, Djokovic was defeated in mixed doubles too (6-7, 5-7). In case of advancing to the finals in both competitions, he would have enjoyed a day off; because he lost, he had to play the bronze medal matches a day after his semifinal upsets. He lost the singles third place match being visibly tired from its inception, and withdrew from the 3rd place match in mixed doubles due to exhaustion. “The toughest conditions I’ve ever played in”, he explained. What seemed like a smooth route to the dream of winning two gold medals, turned into an adventure without any medal for the 34-year-old Serb. Many tennis enthusiasts might have thought he lost his last chance to get an Olympic gold, but he preserved all his required energy to finally conquer the Olympics three years later in Paris, not mixing up with doubles competitions on that occasion.

   Serve & volley: Zverev 1/2, Djokovic 2/8

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2. Voo de Mar says:

   March 25, 2025 at 5:22 pm

   When they began their semifinal,
   Djokovic had played six matches (4 singles + 2 mixed doubles) in six days,
   while Zverev seven matches (4 singles + 3 doubles) in six days – all 13 matches concluded in straight sets

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