Tokyo (AFP)

Novak Djokovic will not be Olympic singles champion: the Serbian, world No.1 and big favorite in Tokyo, was eliminated Friday in the semi-finals of the Games by Alexander Zverev, seeing his dreams of a gold medal once again handed to later.

The German, 5th in the world, will face in the final Sunday the Russian competing under the neutral banner Karen Khachanov (25th), who defeated the Spaniard Pablo Carreno a little earlier.

Thunder roared several times during this first semi-final, but it was during the second that lightning struck Djokovic.

Arrived in the last four without losing a single set and leaving only crumbs to his opponents, the Serbian cracked, beaten 1-6, 6-3, 6-1, under the pressure of Zverev, at the end of 'a high-flying match.

This defeat put an end to his ambition to win Olympic gold for the first time, the only title still missing from his prestigious record.

Bronze medalist for his first Games in Beijing in 2008, the Serbian has been following disillusionment at the Olympics.

After failing at the foot of the podium in London, he was eliminated in the first round in Rio.

This new setback also puts an end to the hope of the world No. 1 to achieve this year the "Golden Slam", or golden Grand Slam, by winning the same year the four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympics, a feat only achieved by the German Steffi Graf in 1988.

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- "I apologize" -

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry (for him). He remains the greatest player of all time. (...) I know he came here to engrave his name in history, that he was looking for the + Golden Slam +. But it's not always possible to win, "said Zverev after his victory.

"It also feels good to be able to win against him once in a while."

Already crowned at the Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, Djokovic, 20 major titles on the clock, nevertheless still has a chance, if he wins the US Open, to achieve the calendar Grand Slam, as Rod Laver had done in 1969.

He is also still engaged in the Olympic mixed doubles tournament in the semi-finals with his compatriot Nina Stojanovic and will play for bronze in the singles against Carreno.

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Zverev remains assured of winning a medal for Germany.

"It is without doubt one of the greatest achievements of my career," he said.

- Turnaround -

"Here, I do not only play for myself or for those close to me, I also play for all the sportsmen, all the people who have stayed in Germany and are watching me. The Olympic Games are the biggest sporting event in the world" , estimates the 24-year-old player, already holder of 15 ATP titles, including two won this year (Madrid, Acapulco).

Led by a set and with a break behind in the second, Zverev managed to turn the game around, raising his level of play while opposite the machine Djokovic seized up little by little, before collapsing in the sleeve decisive.

"When I was behind, I didn't play so badly (...) but against him, that's not enough. So when I lost my serve in the second set, I started to take more risks and it paid off ", analyzed the German.

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At the start of the afternoon, Khachanov also showed great mastery against Carreno, who fell the day before his compatriot, Daniil Medvedev, world No. 2.

Once again very effective in the service (10 aces, 26 points won out of 28 in the first ball), Khachanov also played with his powerful forehand to push the Spanish metronome to the fault (15 unforced errors).

If he wins on Sunday, he could become the first Russian Olympic tennis champion since Yevgeny Kafelnikov crowned in Sydney 21 years ago.

dep / jr / fbx

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