Zverev Ends Djokovic’s ‘Golden Slam’ Dream

Novak Djokovic’s bid for a ‘Golden Slam’ is over after defeat to Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

The world No 1 was aiming to become the first man to win all four majors and an Olympic singles gold medal in the same calendar year. Steffi Graf is the only tennis player to have achieved this feat previously.

After a productive series of matches in Tokyo, and Djokovic flying through the opening set of the semi-final, his bid to create more tennis history looked secure.
However, 24-year-old Zverev showed an exceptional level of determination and character to turn his own game around and triumph 1-6 6-3 6-1.

Zverev will now face Karen Khachanov in the final. The world No 1 must dust himself off and meet Pablo Carreno Busta of Spain in the bronze medal match.

Djokovic, who was on a 23-match winning streak taking in French Open and Wimbledon titles, looked set for another easy victory when he raced through the opening set and broke Zverev for 3-2 in the second.

From there, the match turned on its head, as the powerful German started to achieve the seemingly impossible and hit through his opponent.
He won a remarkable eight games in a row before Djokovic finally stopped the rot to hold for 1-4 in the decider. However, a lacklustre final game showed that the world No 1 knew the game was up.