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The night before, the release.

Pablo Carreño

, who had defeated the world number two (

Medvedev

), who added eight wins on a run after lifting the Hamburg tournament days before the Games -the first ATP 500 of his career-, which caressed an entire Olympic final, no he had only just lost against a rival, a priori, 'winnable' like

Khachanov

in the quarterfinals. Eventually he learned that his opponent for the bronze would be none other than

Novak Djokovic

.

But that Friday of mourning was going to propitiate the first step towards the victory of a lifetime. The man from Gijón explained it at the time of the feat, although the first thing he did after the celebrations on the Central court of the Ariake Tennis Park was to comply with his physical routine: the stationary bike was waiting for him to loosen his legs after the suffocating battle. "When I lost, everything fell apart. That fatigue that I have accumulated for several weeks, the pressure you feel when you are representing your country in some Games. Seeing that you play against Djokovic ... All that makes you relax a little I have slept like never before in Tokyo, nine and a half hours at a time. I got up again. It has been good for me, "he explained the process.

Because for Pablo, musketeer goatee, that bronze finally won in a duel to remember in which he had to suffer the anger and talent of Nole, who as soon as he saved five match balls (the first in the second set) as he threw a racket to the rostrum or smashed it in the chair umpire's face, it wasn't just anything.

There are tennis players who disdain the Games and others, like the Asturian, who dream "like crazy" with them.

He counted, without embarrassment, his disappointment when he could not go to Rio five years ago, "despite being the 30th in the world, what happens is that there were six Spaniards ahead", and his shock when Tokyo was postponed.

"When I found out, I fell a bit down," he admitted.

The rally with Samu

So, with the scared pressure and the good tone of the one who slept soundly, Pablo pressed the mental F5 to face an

impossible

.

The only time he had surpassed Djokovic in the previous five was at the famous 2020 US Open, when the Serbian hit a ball boy for which he was expelled from the tournament.

The Spaniard had breakfast at the Villa, took his rackets and warmed up with the physio in Ariako, and then raced with Samu, "who is playing the ball very well," he joked.

Samuel Lopez

It is his coach since 2016, also from Asturias, who convinced him that only with courage could he take a step forward in his career.

Then he showered, ate, rested and went to the Central Court, where cicadas, stupor and perhaps the best tennis player of all time awaited him.

"Tactically things have turned out well, which I was prepared for. I have had moments of doubts [after losing the second set in the tie break]. There it is normal for me to go down and he recovers and raises his level. That is why it has been The first game of the third set is important, I have believed again, "he recounted about the 167-minute work of art (6-4, 6-7 [6], 6-3) in which he started firmly and was about to solve everything in two sleeves, although

Nole's

genius

came out to save the neck with two terrifying serves.

The bronze which broke into the burning cement tokiota, something that "would never have

dreamed" the

currante

Carreño ,

who at age 30 has won six singles titles, but none of the most prestigious apart from the Davis- Cup , is the one who most wanted him and honored him with his performance. It was the fifth medal of a Spanish delegation that scared away all the bad days before. Paul had seen the end of the pit just before. "It has been good for me to know that we had achieved the first gold. I have jumped to win," he revealed. Not only is it the greatest success of his career, it is also the 13th Olympic medal in Spanish tennis. The last individual had been

Rafa Nadal's

gold

in Beijing. Since 2012, rackets have never failed Spain at the Games.

By the way, to Carreño, who never twists the gesture, that that day of the pitch at the US Open he remained elegant in the face of criticism of Djokovic, in Tokyo he did not hesitate to censor the attitude of number one, who after losing what would have been his second Olympic medal after Beijing 2008 he refused to play the match for the bronze in mixed doubles.

"I have asked him (the referee), because he thought it was

Djokovic's

second

warning

. When he threw the racket into the third amphitheater, because then he had burst it in his face at the net post. It seems that he was throwing the racket at the third amphitheater has not been enough. Sometimes the rules are difficult to carry out when you are in front of the number one in the world, "he concluded, now, seriously.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • Pablo Carreño

  • Rafael Nadal

  • Novak Djokovic

  • sports

  • Tennis JJOO

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  • HBPR

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See links of interest

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