Djokovic lost in the first round of the 2016 Olympic men's singles

The world number one tennis player's dream of winning the Olympics was shattered after losing to Juan Martin Del Potro with a score of 7-6, 7-6.

This is the second time Novak Djokovic has lost to Del Potro at the Olympics. In London 2012, in the bronze medal match, the Serbian lost 5-7, 4-6 to his Argentine opponent.

Juan Martin Del Potro suffered a freak accident before the match when he was trapped in an elevator in the athletes' village for 40 minutes before being rescued by the Argentine handball team. Del Potro has just returned from three consecutive wrist surgeries. His first-round match at Wimbledon in June was the 27-year-old's first Grand Slam appearance in two and a half years.

Djokovic shed tears after shocking defeat at the 2016 Olympics. Photo: Reuters.

Djokovic paid the price with 30 unforced errors in this match. However, Del Potro deserves credit for his ability to predict his opponent's cross-court shots and his excellent performance with his forehands and cross-court volleys. The Argentine scored 40 winners in this match.

Djokovic has high hopes for the 2016 Olympic gold medal. He once praised this title as no less than a Grand Slam championship and considered it a piece to help perfect his own achievements. After being unexpectedly eliminated early at Wimbledon 2016, experts said that Djokovic would have more time to focus on the Olympics. That is the next peak that the Serbian tennis player wants to conquer after achieving his goal of winning Roland Garros for the first time.

However, facing a tough opponent in the first round, Djokovic became the victim of one of the biggest surprises at this year's Olympics. He lost the tie-break in both sets by the scores of 4-7 and 2-7 respectively. This defeat for Djokovic came just a week after he won the Masters 1000 title in Canada.

When the match ended, Del Potro burst into tears because he was so moved by this achievement after all the hardships he had endured in his career. Djokovic also shed tears because he knew that, at the 2020 Olympics, his chance of winning a gold medal would be very slim at the age of 33.

According to VNE