“It was physically impossible for Novak Djokovic to play the bronze medal match at Tokyo Olympics,” claims former Wimbledon champion

“It was physically impossible for Novak Djokovic to play the bronze medal match at Tokyo Olympics,” claims former Wimbledon champion

Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic was in the form of his life prior to the Tokyo Olympics, and he was the favorite to win the gold medal in Singles, and end his long wait to complete the Career Golden Slam. As expected, the Serbian started off things in style, reaching the semifinals in singles. Moreover, he also decided to compete in the Mixed Doubles event, where he reached the last four.

However, things began falling apart in the last phase, as Djokovic was defeated in the semifinals by Alexander Zverev. The world number one was also defeated in the Mixed Doubles semifinals, which meant that he could return home with two bronze medals in the best case scenario.

Novak Djokovic lost to Pablo Carreno Busta in the bronze medal match, and was completely exhausted due to the grueling playing conditions. Due to this reason, he had to withdraw from the Mixed Doubles bronze medal match which was scheduled for the next day.

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Marion Bartoli defends Novak Djokovic’s decision to withdraw from Mixed Doubles bronze medal match

Novak Djokovic
Novak Djokovic

Marion Bartoli, former Wimbledon champion defended Novak Djokovic for his decision to pull out of the Mixed Doubles semifinals. The former French player believes that the Serbian is fierce competitor, and wanted to win a medal at any cost. However, she believes that Djokovic was physically exhausted, and had nothing left to give.

“Novak was just exhausted. He had given everything he had… he would have done anything to win a medal because it was close to his heart, but he couldn’t do it. He’s a nice person who respects the game so much that his forfeit can’t be interpreted any other way, it was just physically impossible for him to play,” said Bartoli.

Novak Djokovic was among the several players who struggled to cope with the extreme heat in Tokyo, and as a result, he was physically exhausted till the time of semifinals.

Also Read: “At the end of the day, what is important for me is to have fun playing tennis, but with this pain it is not possible”: Rafael Nadal