Home » I was motivated, but my competitor performed better, Novak Djokovic reflects.

Just a few weeks after the third Major of the season on the same grounds, Wimbledon hosted the tennis competition for the London 2012 Olympic Games. Rafael Nadal was unable to attend owing to an injury, but other top athletes including Andy Murray, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic were welcomed at the All England Club.

Murray and Federer competed in the Wimbledon championship. They joined Novak Djokovic and Juan Martin del Potro in the Olympics semifinals. The semi-final matchup between Murray and Djokovic will be their 14th on the tour. Andy defeated Novak 7-5, 7-5 in two hours with the support of the enthusiastic audience, defeating the Serb for the sixth time and moving on to the gold medal match.

To win in straight sets and go to his second Wimbledon final in a month, the Briton earned 10 more points and played better tennis in crucial situations. In order to overcome Djokovic‘s resistance, Murray thwarted all four break attempts and won two crucial return games.

They each had a comparable number of forced errors and wins, but Murray held the crucial edge in this category. In the shorter and more difficult rallies, Andy had the advantage and maintained his composure to keep pursuing the gold medal.

In the second game of the match, Djokovic had two break chances, but he successfully resisted both with victories to avoid falling behind right away. At 3-3, the Briton had to work hard to win, surviving four deuces before the Serb sprayed a backhand error that won it for him.

In two competitive sets, Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in London 2012.

A forehand crosscourt winner in the following game helped Murray clinch the set before a tie break and give the spectators something to cheer about. Murray held with a powerful serve at 5-5.

At the start of the second set, Djokovic missed a break opportunity and unforced a backhand error, giving Murray the victory. The British player, serving at 1-1, saved a break opportunity with a drop shot winner and finished the match with an unreturned serve.

In the following five games, both players played effectively on serve to maintain the tie score of 4-4. In the ninth game, Novak scored three straight points on the return to gain a break opportunity, but Andy’s serve winner stopped him. When the score was 5-5, the Serb proved to be the superior player by making one final push before the tie-breaking round.

With a strong forehand save, Murray forced a mistake from Djokovic to make it 6-5 and gain a significant advantage. In game 12, Andy won by breaking Novak at love after he faltered under pressure when serving to keep the match alive.

“I’m not sure how it appeared from the outside of the court, but I was really motivated, just like my opponent. Andy performed better in the critical points; his serve was flawless and he always made effective use of it.

In the second set, I had break chances and pushed him to the edge, particularly at 5-5. I found it ineffective, and I regret the outcome. I must applaud Andy since he merits to be in the championship game.

As is typically the case when you play for your nation, the atmosphere was fantastic. At Wimbledon, the audience was on Andy’s side, as was to be expected. He benefited from their positive energy, which he channeled to his advantage. Tomorrow, I’ll try to get up, gather my composure, and positive energy.

The motivation is there, and I will try to repeat what I did in Beijing four years ago and claim the medal. The loss is even more disappointing when I know I fought for my country,” Novak Djokovic said.