OK so now to get onto the men's tournament at the Rio 2016 Olympics and let's see who claimed the top prizes in the men's.
EARLY EXITS AND UPSETS
First up to cover the early exits and upsets well the early exits of the top seeds included David Ferrer, who lost out to the Russian player, Evgeny Donskoy in a very tense three set battle that saw the Russian come back from a set down to win 3-6, 7-6, 7-5. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga also suffered an early defeat at the hands of the Luxembourg player, Gilles Muller in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Jack Sock of the USA also had an early exit in the 1st round as he came up short against the Japenese player, Taro Daniel in staight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Marin Cilic of Croatia and the former US Open champion suffered an exit in the 3rd round to Gael Monfils in a very close three set match that saw the Frenchman top Cilic in 6-7, 6-3, 6-4. And lastly David Goffin of Beligum went out at the hands of the home favourite, Thomaz Bellucci as the Brazilian won the match in straight sets, 7-6, 6-4.
And now for the biggest upset of them all which saw the World No.1, Novak Djokovic, who was seeking his first Olympic gold medal, come up against Juan Martin Del Potro in his opening round. And the match itself proved to be its last for the top seed as Del Potro put in a stunning performance to put out Novak in two tiebreak sets 7-6, 7-6 to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament and with it end Novak's dreams of completing his golden career slam.
Well this was no doubt the biggest surprise of the tournament which was an almost perplexing loss for Novak who after the match finished, broke down in tears and was devastated at losing out so early in the event. However it was soon revealed that Novak had been suffering from a recurring wrist injury after the rigours of his tennis season so far but I will get onto that in a bit more detail later. Meanwhile Del Potro really re-established himself once again in the tennis world with this performance after having been out of the game for such a long time with injury and there was even more to come for the big Argentine.
SEMI FINAL MATCHES
And this brings me onto the men's semi final matches which saw in the first match Andy Murray, the defending gold medal champion take on Kei Nishikori for a place in the final.
And to quickly recap both men had come through tough quarter final matches as Nishikori survived a 3rd set tiebreaker against Gael Monfils, who double faulted on match point to let Nishikori back into the match and win it. And Andy had two tough prior matches where in the 3rd round he looked to be exiting early as he played the dangerous, Fabio Fognini who took a 3-0 lead in the 3rd set but Andy managed somehow to break back and turn it around. And after this Andy had to endure another tough battle against the in form American, Steve Johnson, who pushed Andy to a 3rd set tiebreak, which Andy dominated to reach the semis.
So their semi final match had alot riding on it however it was Andy that made a stronger start and Nishikori got careless on his serve and ended up suffering a double break and Andy handed him a matchstick (6-1). And in the 2nd set, Kei seemed to be struggling with his feet as he changed his shoes his movement appeared to be hampered and he went down a break again and despite a valiant attempt to beak back, Andy served out the match to reach his 2nd gold medal final with a commanding 6-1, 6-4 win.
So now onto the second men's semi final which was between Rafael Nadal and Juan Martin Del Potro as both men looked set for an epic contest infront of a firey crowd of Brazilian/Spanish and Argentine fans. And the match itself did not disappoint as both men were locked into an outright battle for the final that saw Rafa take the opening set. However in the 2nd set, Del Potro mounted his spirited fightback that saw him break Rafa and take the match into a deciding set. And in the 3rd and final set both players treated the crowd to a thrilling contest as the match's momentum swung to and fro and Del Potro appeared to have the upper hand at serving for the match at 5-4 only for Rafa to break back. And play went into a very tense tiebreak that saw Rafa even recover a minibreak down to go 6-5 to Delpo but he ended up spraying a forehand and with that Delpo fell to the ground in delight as he won an incredible epic match in 3 hours and 10 minutes with a score of 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 that saw him reach his first Olympic gold medal final.
Well there is not much doubt that this was one of the best matches of the tournament that saw both men put in an incredible effort on the court for a decidedly split crowd who were both booing and cheering the two players but they produced an incredible atmosphere all the same. And I personally thought it looked certain that Rafa would come out on top of this one but in the end it wasn't to be and Delpo deserves nothing but credit for how he turned this one around in his favour from a set down. And it also reinforced how Del Potro really has recovered his great form and despite his current low ranking of 141, he is playing top 10 tennis.
BRONZE MEDAL PLAY OFF
As for the bronze medal play off match it saw both losing semi finalists, Rafael Nadal and Kei Nishikori face each other for the 3rd place prize. And the match itself proved to be an absorbing encounter that had twists and turns and it was Nishikori that made the stronger start as he had the shorter match the other day against Andy, whereas Rafa played over three hours against Del Potro so is fatigue was evident as Kei won the first set with a double break. And in the 2nd set, Rafa continued to appear to be running on empty as he went down a double break again and it looked to be all over for the Spaniard.
However the match took another turn when Kei was unable to serve it out twice and Rafa levelled to go 5-5 and play then went into a tiebreak that saw Rafa dominate it to much to the surprise of everyone, take the match into a decider. However in the final set, Rafa appeared to be distracted by Kei's long 12 minute bathroom break at the start of the set and he lost concentration as he went down another break. And this time, Kei did not relent as he finally closed the barn door and claimed one of his biggest wins and the bronze medal with a 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 win.
Well there was not much doubt this was another high quality match and a fascinating battle between two top players and the twists and turns in the 2nd set also made it great to watch. And I think its great to see Kei win this medal as he was clearly the better player for the most part and for once losing quickly worked in his favour as it left him fresher for this match. And this will rank as one of Kei's biggest achievements as winning any medal in the Olympics is quite an achievement in itself so he deserves it. Although there was a bit of controversy from Rafa over Kei's decision to go for a lengthy bathroom break before the start of the 3rd set, which did appear to affect Rafa's concentration but in the end Kei was the fresher player and fatigued in the end played its part in Rafa's defeat.
And as for Rafa, well he will no doubt be disappointed with this loss but he gave all that he had left in it and he also gave his absolute all in the semi final against Del Potro so ultimately it would take its toll. However Rafa will take many positives out of the Olympics as he not only reached the bronze medal play-off in the singles, he also won his first Olympic gold medal in the men's doubles as he won the event with his doubles partner, Marc Lopez.
So Rafa is looking to be in good form ahead of the US Open and let's hope that he will be able to compete there if all is good and well with his wrist. And rather suprisingly Rafa has decided to play in the Cincinnati masters this week even though he has indicated that his wrist is still not 100 percent but he is keen to play so he can try and bump up his points in the race to play the year end finals at the o2 in London. This might be a dangerous decision though on Rafa's part because he could risk further damage to his wrist but it is ultimately his decision and let's hope it isn't one that will affect his ability to play for the remainder of the season.
MEN'S GOLD MEDAL FINAL
Sooooo this brings me onto the men's final between Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro in what promised to be a highly intriguing match. Although Andy went into the match as a heavy favourite given his current form and having been on a 17 match winning streak going into the final he looked to be surefire winner.
As for the match itself....well it delivered on its promise in spades as both men produced an incredible match that was more than worthy of an Olympic final.
And the match itself had its fair share of twists and turns as even in the 1st set despite taking an early lead, Andy kept dropping his serve to let Delpo back into the match. However as play went to 6-5 with Delpo serving to take the match into a breaker it was Andy that made his move and broke Delpo to grab the first set. In the 2nd set however, Andy came off the boil and starting to make more errors and dropped serve again and this time Delpo took advantage and went on to level the match at a set all. In the 3rd set however, Andy managed to regain the momentum as Del Potro started to tire from his efforts in the match and also his Rafa match, and Andy broke Delpo twice to grab the two sets to one lead. And in the 4th set both men produced some thrilling points and great tennis that saw momentum swing back and forth as Delpo twice went a break up only for Andy to break back twice. And at 6-5 with Delpo serving again for a tiebreak, Andy made his move and on his 2nd gold medal point he sealed the deal as Delpo netted a backhand that saw Andy win his second gold medal with a stunning 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 win.
Well... there is little doubt that this was not only the match of the tournament but one of the best matches of the year as for four hours and two minutes both men produced a sensational encounter for the 8,000 strong crowd. And both men gave their absolute all throughout even though there were many dips during the match from both players, the intensity was always there and the crowd, which produced the atmosphere of a football match also played their part in what was a memorable experience.
As for Andy this surely ranks as one of the crowning achievements of his career as he successfully defended his gold medal and he became the first singles player in the history of the Olympics to do so and win back to back golds. And despite at times some atrocious serving, Andy was able to dictate play and physically outlast Del Potro at the key moments in the match that in absence of Djokovic, showed him to be the best player on the planet right now. And it was the perfect way to cap off a memorable summer, which will see Andy head into the US Open with much confidence.
As for Del Potro well there is no doubt this will be a tough loss for him but he said after the match he was very proud to win the silver medal and he has every right to be as he truly re-established himself as a top player in this event. And this match proved once again what a great player Delpo really is and its a pity that he had been out of the game for so long as he could well have went on to win several more major titles of his own had he had kept healthy. But with this tournament, Del Potro has proven he is back to his best and from here things can only get better as he will go into the US Open also with a great deal of confidence that could see him make a good run there.
SO WHAT NOW FOR ANDY HEADING INTO THE US OPEN????
Well....what indeed as Andy right now is arguably the best player in the world in absence of Novak Djokovic, who is currently out of the game with a wrist injury but he is set to return for the US Open at the end of the month. But even if Novak does return for the US Open is there any gurarantee that he will be able to get back ontop and win a 3rd title at Flushing meadows??? Well this is the one question that remains to be answered as first of all we will need to wait and see if Novak will be fit enough to play the event but if he doesn't then Andy is the hot favourite to win. And right now the way I see things is that Andy right now is the hot favourite to win the US Open given his current form and that he is on an 18 match winning streak (the longest of his career).
However the only question mark for Andy right now is how much has he got left in the tank after the Olympics as he has to play the Cincinnati masters event this week before the US Open comes round. And Andy's winning streak could easily come to an end as he will no doubt be feeling the effects of fatigue after the Olympics tournament so its questionable that he will be able to go on to win in Cincinnati. However I wouldn't be concerned if Andy does go out as it would be purely down to fatigue more than anything else and no doubt if he does lose in Cincy then he will no doubt come back strong and regroup for the US Open.
SUM UP
Right so to sum up its been a terrific tournament for men's tennis at the Olympics and it ends again with a terrific result for Great Britain as Andy Murray claimed the gold medal for the 2nd time and in the final we got a terrific and highly memorable match. And for me personally this was a far better and more competitive match than Andy's Wimbledon triumph last month and it will surely remain as a match that will last long in the memory and with it Andy made his own piece of history by winning back to back singles gold medals.
So next up is the US Open and I will do a preview on that for the men's event and give my pick of the top contenders for the title (and I think I know who I will put right at the top!) within the next week or so once Cincinnati has finished.
Right so until the next one its bye for now!
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