On his first night in the Olympic Village, Novak Djokovic shared his thoughts on mental toughness with fellow members of Team Serbia. What did he say? “I’m going to keep it a secret,” said Djokovic. “Athletes only.” Anyone curious to know more could do worse than watch a replay of his Olympic quarter-final victory over Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
There was the moment in the fifth game of the opening set when Djokovic groaned in frustration, disappointment writ large on his face, after driving a backhand long to miss a break point. There was the rifled backhand winner from Nishikori that brought up 30-30 in the next game – a chance, perhaps, to break the top seed’s serve for only the second time in the tournament – and the Djokovic ace that followed. There was the guttural roar emitted by the Serb when he saved a break point at the start of the second set, pulling Nishikori from one corner to the other before unleashing a forehand winner.
A close match, then? Not remotely. Djokovic won 6-2, 6-0. Yet the sheer intensity of the Serb, his almost savage level of focus in the seemingly innocuous moments that make the difference between a resounding victory and a tight match, says everything about the mental fortitude his Serbian team-mates were so keen to learn about. The man is relentless.
There are times when the fervour of Djokovic’s approach can seem disproportionate to the task in hand. His unflinching desire to snuff out opportunities, to deny his opponents an inch, will be vital to his assault on the record books as he attempts a clean sweep of all four majors and the Olympics. Even so, it is not to everyone’s taste.
Marcelo Melo, the Brazilian doubles specialist, felt Djokovic overstepped the mark in the opening round of the mixed. Melo, who partnered Luisa Stefani in a 6-3, 6-4 opening-round defeat against Djokovic and Nina Stojanovic, expressed disappointment at the way the Serb seemed to aim words and gestures at the Brazilian’s box, and also took exception to being struck by an overhead.
“Novak surprised me, but in a negative way,” said Melo. “He had a smash directly in my back, which he didn’t have to play that way … We did nothing to him to deserve that. In one moment, he almost hit Luisa. Of course, these are the Olympic Games, everything is happening on the court. He does what he does during points, but he should have some limits.”
Djokovic, who brushed off the comments, is not about to alter his methods. Not with history at stake, and least of all against an opponent like Nishikori. The former world No 4, a bronze medallist at the Rio Olympics in 2016, is not the force he once was. A string of injuries – including problems with his wrist, elbow and shoulder, the last of which required surgery two years ago – has seen to that. Now ranked 69th, Nishikori married his long-term girlfriend Mai Yamauchi last December and will become a father for the first time later this year. At 31, other priorities beckon.
Yet Nishikori, who has taken sets off Rafael Nadal, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander this year, remains a dangerous player, and Djokovic was in no mood to offer the home favourite encouragement. “My level of tennis is getting better and better,” said Djokovic, who will play Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals after the German fourth seed saw off Jeremy Chardy of France 6-4, 6-1. “I know that I’m the kind of player that, the further the tournament goes, the better I’m feeling on the court. That was the case here: my best performance of the tournament tonight against a very good opponent.
“Kei, I know his game very well. Him playing in Japan, this court where he had lots of success, I knew that he’s going to play very quick and he’s not going to give me a lot of time, so I had to be very alert. I feel I had an answer for everything he had.”
In the lower half of the draw, second seed Daniil Medvedev crashed to a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) defeat against Pablo Carreno Busta. With Medvedev looking tired after his energy-sapping win over Fabio Fognini on Wednesday, Carreno Busta, seeded sixth, recovered from 3-1 down in the second set to complete the victory.
“This was one of the best matches of my career,” said the Spaniard, who will face Karen Khachanov in the last four after the Russian beat France’s Ugo Humbert 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 6-3. “Daniil is a top player, he is No 2 in the world and it’s very difficult to play against him. He plays with very high intensity, he plays at a pace that is very difficult to match, but today I managed it.
“I came here for a medal. There are four of us left and there are only three medals, so I need one more win to get it. At the moment things are going very well, the plan is going very well. I won’t relax and will continue with this intensity.”
Despite the later start start time of 3pm, a switch designed to avoid the hottest part of the day following complaints from the players, Medvedev once again struggled in the sweltering conditions. “I changed everything I had,” said the Russian of his wardrobe change after the first set. “I wanted to change my skin, because I was sweating like I never did before. It was terrible. I didn’t enjoy the conditions still, but it was much better than playing at 11.”
Medvedev, who acknowledged the superb performance of his opponent, added: “I couldn’t play better than I did today. I could serve better, but then I was wet like hell. I couldn’t toss the ball well, once I tossed the ball and got water in my eyes. It was not easy to play and I’m really disappointed with myself and for my country to lose in the quarters.”
Belinda Bencic will play Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic in the women’s final. Bencic, the Swiss world No 12, saved six set points in the opening set to overcome Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan 7-6 (7-2), 4-6, 6-3. “To have a medal, it’s something I dreamed of, and I didn’t think it would become reality,” said the tearful Bencic, who is also in the women’s doubles final alongside Viktorija Golubic. “I’m beyond relieved and happy.”
The 42nd-ranked Vondrousova made short work of Elina Svitolina, the fourth seed, whose epic run of three-set wins finally came to an end with a 6-3, 6-1 reversal. “It’s an amazing feeling to represent my country in the bronze medal match, but I’m really disappointed today,” said the Ukrainian, who made 15 unforced errors to her opponent’s five.
“I tried my best, but I expected to go further. Unfortunately, there are other players who are playing well. It’s extremely tough and it didn’t happen today. Marketa played really well, a very solid performance, and I couldn’t find my best tennis.”