Tokyo Olympics: Novak Djokovic's temper flares up in bronze medal match loss
Tokyo: Novak Djokovic came to the Tokyo Olympics aiming for a Golden Slam. He'll leave without a medal and will need some time to recover from a draining performance in extreme conditions that didn't meet expectations.
The top-ranked Djokovic lost his cool and abused his racket several times during a 6-4, 6-7 (6), 6-3 defeat to Pablo Carre o Busta of Spain in the bronze medal match of the tennis tournament on Saturday.
It was Djokovic's third defeat in two days and it came less than 24 hours after he was beaten by Alexander Zverev of Germany in the semifinals. That ended his bid for a Golden Slam, which is winning all four Grand Slam titles and Olympic gold in the same year.
Djokovic's frustration was evident in his on-court behavior as the match wore on.
Having saved a match point in the second-set tiebreaker, Djokovic threw his racket over five rows of seats into the stands after he couldn't get to a stop-volley winner from Carre o Busta to conclude a long rally in the opening game of the third.
A couple of games later, when Carre o Busta had broken his serve to take control of the decisive set, Djokovic again lost his cool and slammed his racket into the net post during a change of ends. He then picked up the mangled racket and tossed it into the photographers' pit.
Djokovic received a verbal warning for the net-post incident, but Carre o Busta appeared to question the chair umpire as to why it wasn't a point penalty since it was the second instance of racket abuse. The umpire, however, hadn't warned Djokovic for the first incident.
Djokovic, who also lost with Serbian partner Nina Stojanovic in the mixed doubles semifinals on Friday, has played a total of 16 sets over seven matches in four days.
He was due back on court later Saturday for one final match in Tokyo. He and Stojanovic were scheduled to face the Australian duo of Ash Barty and John Peers for the bronze medal in mixed doubles. But Djokovic withdrew from that match citing a left shoulder injury handing the bronze medal to Australia.
As it's been virtually all week at the Ariake Tennis Park, heat was a major factor, with the temperature soaring to 90 degrees F (32 degrees C) and stifling humidity making it feel like 100 degrees F (38 degrees C).
Both Djokovic and Carre o Busta put ice bags on their necks during changeovers. Djokovic also grabbed a rubber tube blowing cool air and stuck it up his shirt.
Also later, Belinda Bencic of Switzerland plays Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the women's singles gold medal match.
Meanwhile, Carre o Busta will have to wait until Sunday to be awarded his bronze medal, after Zverev plays Karen Khachanov of ROC in the men's final. That, of course, was the match that Djokovic came expecting to play in.
Djokovic won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon this year and needed the Olympic and U.S. Open titles to complete the Golden Slam collection.
Steffi Graf in 1988 remains the only tennis player to achieve the Golden Slam. But Djokovic can still go after the calendar-year Grand Slam by winning the U.S. Open something no man has accomplished since Rod Laver in 1969.
The U.S. Open starts in a month.
Keeping his temper under control has always been an issue for Djokovic, who was disqualified from last year's U.S. Open after unintentionally hitting a line judge in the throat with a ball during a fourth-round match against Carre o Busta.
Carre o Busta went on to reach the semifinals of the U.S. Open for his career-best result at a major.
Now the 11th-ranked Carre o Busta has won an Olympic medal for another breakthrough moment a moment he cherished by falling down onto his back next to the Olympic rings printed on the court after Djokovic netted a forehand on the Spaniard's sixth match point.
Djokovic's only Olympic medal remains a bronze in singles from 2008 his first Olympics.
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Saif Ali Khan’s attacker allegedly let in by house help, Police investigate
Mumbai: Mumbai Police suspect that the attacker who stabbed actor Saif Ali Khan six times during an alleged burglary attempt was let into his Bandra residence by one of his house helps. The house help is currently under scrutiny as police investigate the incident. The 54-year-old actor, who sustained injuries, including one near his spine, has undergone surgery at Lilavati Hospital and is reportedly out of danger.
The attack occurred late at night, and preliminary investigations suggest the assailant may have entered the premises hours earlier and waited for an opportunity to strike. CCTV footage from the residence did not capture any recent entry, strengthening the suspicion that the attacker was assisted by someone inside.
Police reported that the incident began as a scuffle during the burglary attempt. “An unidentified person intruded into the residence of Actor Saif Ali Khan. The actor and the intruder had a scuffle. The actor is injured and is being treated. Investigation is ongoing,” officials said.
The attack has raised questions about security in Mumbai’s high-profile areas. Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticised the state government, highlighting similar incidents such as the murder of Baba Siddique and the firing outside Salman Khan’s residence. “If celebrities in Bandra are not safe, who in Mumbai is? This is a serious failure of law and order,” she said.
Actor Pooja Bhatt also expressed concerns, urging authorities to address the issue urgently. “Can this lawlessness please be curbed? Bandra has never felt so unsafe before,” she tweeted, tagging Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior officials.
Police are now focused on identifying the attacker, who fled the scene, and examining the possible role of the house help in the incident.
