Every athlete has pushed their body to extreme limits to win. In fact, you do not have to be a professional athlete to appreciate the drive that lies behind many who want to accomplish a goal. Novak Djokovic made it known that he wanted the Grand Slam, more important, the Golden Slam.

Novak Djokovic Fails In Quest For Gold

Not only did he not win gold, but he will also leave the Olympics without a silver or bronze medal as he lost to Pablo Carreno Busta. Interesting, this is not the first time the number one ranked player has lost to the Spaniard, albeit a truncated match. In 2020 at the US Open, Carreno Busta defeated the Serbian in the round of sixteen. Still Djokovic led their head-to-head 4:1 going into this match. The Spaniard claimed the 6-4, 6-7(6), 6-3 victory to secure the bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

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Injury Derails Novak Djokovic

Given the messed up schedule due to the restrictions and complicated nature of trying to have the tournaments unfold in some semblance of normalcy – did Djokovic expect too much of his aging body? We know that thirty-four is still young; however, every athlete knows that in certain professional arenas, that is getting up there.

The physical demands and well as the psychological demands can be more taxing at this age. We know from Andy Murray how demanding too much within a short period of time can have far reaching consequences. There was not enough time between Wimbledon and the Olympics for the Serbian to fully recover. That is perhaps why he got injured, or perhaps he went into the Olympics with his injuries. Nevertheless, his quest for the golden slam is squashed and he leaves Tokyo with a shoulder injury.

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How Does This Injury Affect His Us Open?

Will the Serbian be physically and psychologically fit to compete at the 2021 US Open? He will more than likely be there as he remains determined to win the Grand Slam. Of course, if his shoulder injury is more serious than anticipated, he may have to miss the US Open. We will know more when he gets evaluated by his team; however, I get the impression that he will give everything he has to play the 2021 US Open.

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