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sports Diasabra 31 Juli 2021

'I feel so terrible': Djokovic's Golden Slam bid is over

(AP) — With his Gold- the only tennis player to ning, Djokovic committed a
en Slam bid over for at achieve the Golden Slam. series of uncharacteristic er-
least another three years, But Djokovic can still go af- rors after a strong start as the
Novak Djokovic rested ter the calendar-year Grand 6-foot-6 (1.98-meter) Zverev
his head on Alexander Slam by winning the U.S. started to win free points
Zverev’s shoulder as his Open — something no man with his big serve.
German opponent and has accomplished since Rod
friend consoled him. Laver in 1969. Djokovic was up a set and a
break in the second before
“I told him that he’s the great- “He won 20 Grand Slams,” Zverev won 10 of the final 11
est of all time,” Zverev said. Zverev said. “So you can’t games.
“I know that he was chasing have everything.
history.” “It’s just sport. He played
“At the end of the day he’s the better,” Djokovic said. “I got
Djokovic, the top-ranked greatest of all time, because to give him credit for turn-
Serb who had seemed in- he’s going to win the most ing (the) match around.
vincible in all of the biggest Grand Slams, he’s going to He served extremely well. I
tournaments this year, lost to win the most Master Series, mean I was not getting too caught up with Djokovic. medal was bronze in singles
Zverev 1-6, 6-3, 6-1 Friday he’s going to be the longest many looks on the second at the 2008 Beijing Games —
in the semifinals of the ten- at the world No. 1, and I’m serve. My serve just drasti- “It’s very unfortunate for him his first.
nis tournament at the Tokyo sure 99% that this is the case cally dropped. I didn’t get any but still he’s an unbelievable
Olympics. when it’s all said and done,” free points from 3-2 up in the champion and he still has so Djokovic came back on the
Zverev said. second. My game fell apart.” many years ahead of him to court little more than an
Djokovic was attempting to achieve many great things,” hour later with Stojanovic
become the first man to win Zverev’s opponent in the Djokovic hadn’t lost since Cilic said. in the mixed semifinals and
all four Grand Slam tourna- gold-medal match will be getting beaten by Rafael lost that match, too, getting
ments and Olympic gold in Karen Khachanov. The Rus- Nadal at the Italian Open fi- When Zverev hit a backhand beaten by the Russian duo of
the same year. He won the sian beat Pablo Carreno Bus- nal 2½ months ago. winner down the line that Elena Vesnina and Aslan Kar-
Australian Open, the French ta of Spain 6-3, 6-3. Djokovic didn’t move for to atsev 7-6 (4), 7-5.
Open and Wimbledon this “He’s gone these last few close it out, Djokovic walked
year and needed the Olym- Djokovic will play two months without any losses to the net where he received a “I feel terrible right now
pic and U.S. Open titles to bronze-medal matches on and for him it’s a big loss ... warm hug from Zverev as the in every sense but tomor-
complete the Golden Slam Saturday. He’ll face Carreno just collapsing in the end,” pair exchanged some words. row hopefully fresh start I
collection. Busta in singles then will said Marin Cilic of Croatia, can recover and at least win
team with Serbian partner who won silver in doubles. “Of course I’m happy that one medal for my country,”
“I feel so terrible right now,” Nina Stojanovic in mixed I’ve won, but in the end of Djokovic said.
Djokovic said. “I can’t be doubles against Ash Barty Cilic noted that the extreme the day I also know (how) he
positive right now.” and John Peers of Australia. heat and humidity at the feels,” Zverev said. It was the third consecutive
Ariake Tennis Park through- day that Djokovic played two
Steffi Graf in 1988 remains On a humid and muggy eve- out the tournament may have Djokovic’s only Olympic matches.

British and American rowing boats flop in Tokyo

(AP) — The rowing at the Tokyo at all. The once-dominant U.S. en’s quadruple sculls by five seconds, rector. He was in the British fours
Olympic Games may be remem- women’s eight that had won three taking bronze in men’s double sculls, boat that started the country’s win
bered more for the British and consecutive Olympic titles, finished then beating the U.S. to the bronze in streak that ended in Tokyo.
American dynasties that sunk fourth as Canada took its first wom- the women’s eight.
rather than the boats that won. en’s rowing gold medal since 1996. Redgrave said British “changes” in
Britain’s lowest moment came in the program delivered the poor re-
After so much success in London in The British and U.S. programs have the men’s four, an event it had won sults. He did not elaborate. British
2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Brit- work to do for Paris 2024. in every Olympic Games since 2000. rowing head coach Jurgen Grobler
ain leaves Tokyo with just two med- With about 500 meters to go, a steer- stepped down in August 2020 after
als and its famed men’s four nearly New Zealand and the Netherlands ing problem sent the British boat overseeing British crews for seven
caused an embarrassing crash in a led the Tokyo medal totals with five veering wildly toward the Italian one. Olympics.
stunning loss. each. Seventeen countries medaled A clipped oar likely cost the Italians
overall, and China looks like a coun- a silver medal and Britain finished “I’m just stating facts,” Redgrave
The Americans didn’t win anything try on the rise after winning the wom- fourth. said. “They changed our system in
the last year and suddenly from being
Britain’s success in the “sitting down” one of the best nations, we’re down
sports is a point of pride and the near the other end.”
country pumped more than $33 mil-
lion into its rowing program since the When asked if he sees himself with
2016 Games. China at the 2024 Olympics in Par-
is, Redgrave noted his contract runs
“We need to ask ourselves tough through the end of those Games.
questions. We had a four-medal tar-
get, we didn’t meet that target. We “I have to assess if my bosses still want
didn’t meet our own expectations. me, if I’ve still got a future, and we’ll
We can’t hide from that,” perfor- see from there,” Redgrave said. “Chi-
mance director Brendan Purcell told na has the athletes, has the resources,
Press Association on Friday. and some of the know-how, to be the
strongest rowing nation in the world.
“Overall, I think we’ve got to be dis- I was brought in to get them there.”
appointed,” said former British row-
ing star Sir Steven Redgrave, who is If the British medal haul was a pit-
now leading China’s rowing program tance, it was Olympic riches com-
as that team’s high performance di- pared to the Americans.