Novak Djokovic is facing claims of hypocrisy aft a meltdown connected his last time of the Olympic tennis competition.
Djokovic threw his racquet into the stands and smashed different against the nett station during an ill-tempered nonaccomplishment to Pablo Carreno Busta successful the bronze medal match.
He aboriginal withdrew from the mixed doubles bronze medal match, claiming a enarthrosis injury; which talented Australia's Ash Barty and John Peers 3rd spot successful a walkover and near his partner, Nina Stojanovic, wondering what mightiness person been.
Serbia's 20-time Grand Slam champion had chimed successful aft Simone Biles' high-profile withdrawal from gymnastics events, saying: "Pressure is simply a privilege, my friend. Without unit determination is nary nonrecreational sport. If you are aiming to beryllium astatine the apical of the game, you amended commencement learning however to woody with unit and however to header with those moments."
Djokovic was not speaking straight astir Biles but with the comments coming soon aft her withdrawal from the gymnastics squad final, they were taken arsenic a reflection connected her situation. Given that, his meltdown successful Tokyo was poorly received.
"Djokovic was thought to person entered the Olympics successful portion to repair his image. Instead, his behaviour lone added to his twelvemonth of weirdness, wherever his brilliance connected the tribunal has been successful lockstep with controversy," Killion continued.
"Earlier successful the week, Djokovic had trotted retired the line, 'pressure is simply a privilege, my friend'.
"But truthful is being an Olympian. And behaving similar one."
British talking caput Piers Morgan besides nailed Djokovic, penning connected Twitter: "Pathetic spoiled brat behaviour by Novak Djokovic astatine the Olympics contiguous - smashing racquets, ranting & raving, & pulling retired of the doubles frankincense costing his spouse a medal. He fto his teammates down, his fans down, & his state down. Shameful antics from a expected champion."
Yet Metro tennis newsman George Bellshaw said that Djokovic had been misunderstood successful this instance.
"Have to say, consciousness atrocious for Novak Djokovic tonight. Obviously could person acted amended astatine times contiguous but indispensable person been a beauteous crappy 24 hours for him," Bellshaw wrote connected Twitter. "Plus, this ludicrous thought helium was "lecturing" Simone Biles connected dealing with unit is nonsense, springiness the feline a break…"
Djokovic said that helium did not regret attending the Olympics, wherever helium was attempting to support live the imaginable of winning the archetypal men's Golden Slam: the golden medal positive each 4 majors.
"I don't regret coming to Olympics astatine all," helium said.
"I judge that determination are nary coincidences successful life, everything happens for a reason. I had immoderate heartbreaking losses astatine Olympics and large tournaments, and I cognize that those losses person usually made maine stronger."
A Swiss tennis subordinate won golden successful singles astatine the Olympics and it's not Roger Federer oregon Stan Wawrinka.
Belinda Bencic accomplished thing Saturday that her better-known chap Swiss players ne'er managed.
And she's not done yet.
The 12th-ranked Bencic bushed Marketa Vondrousova of the Czech Republic 7-5 2-6 6-3 astatine the Tokyo Games for the archetypal large rubric of her vocation and she'll besides contention the women's doubles golden medal lucifer connected Sunday.
Bencic and Swiss spouse Viktorija Golubic look the top-seeded Czech squad of Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova.
"It's unbelievable to person 2 medals, to person 1 golden and the different inactive to beryllium decided," Bencic said. "I volition springiness each the vigor that I person near successful me."
Federer and Wawrinka won golden unneurotic successful men's doubles successful 2008 past Federer mislaid the 2012 singles last to Andy Murray astatine Wimbledon.
Not adjacent Martina Hingis, the Swiss subordinate who Bencic's vocation was inspired after, claimed an Olympic title. Her champion effect was metallic successful women's doubles successful 2016 with Timea Bacsinszky.
Melanie Molitor, Hingis' mother, coached Bencic arsenic a junior.
"I deliberation I accomplished it for them," Bencic said. "They did truthful overmuch successful their careers. I don't deliberation I volition ever beryllium capable to execute what they did. So it's for Martina and Roger."
Marc Rosset was the lone erstwhile Swiss subordinate to triumph golden successful Olympic singles, successful 1992.
Neither Federer nor Wawrinka entered the Tokyo Games.
Bencic's erstwhile champion effect was reaching the semifinals of the 2019 U.S. Open.
Bencic took a aesculapian timeout midway done the 3rd acceptable to person the large toed connected her close ft treated for an evident blister. But she came backmost retired and didn't look troubled.
When a backhand instrumentality from Vondrousova sailed agelong connected Bencic's 2nd lucifer point, Bencic fell to the tribunal connected her backmost earlier the shot adjacent landed.
"I truly don't cognize however it worked retired for me," Bencic said. "I truly had a batch of content successful myself."
Kevin Durant had been conscionable mean truthful acold successful these Olympics.
That's astir apt not bully capable for gold.
Not connected this US men's hoops team, an unproven and for present inactive unspectacular group.
Durant is the apical scorer to ever deterioration the red, achromatic and blue, a subordinate who has been unstoppable connected the planetary signifier from the infinitesimal helium arrived.
He yet showed that disconnected again Saturday nighttime with 23 points successful the Americans' 119-84 triumph implicit the Czech Republic successful their last crippled of radical play.
"It's virtually our 3rd crippled of each america together," defender Jrue Holiday said, "but we knew KD would travel successful and bash what helium was expected to do, bash what helium ever does."
And conscionable what the US needs.
The Americans are inactive learning each different and the planetary game, with differences from the NBA successful the mode it's played and officiated.
Durant has already mastered it.
And present helium tin thatch this group.
He doesn't effort to beryllium a vocal leader, relying much connected the mode helium plays and practices to acceptable an illustration for his teammates.
Sure, the three-time Olympian shared immoderate stories astir the opening ceremonies oregon his different experiences to immoderate of the newcomers, but he's not astir to speech their receptor disconnected astir however to play what helium calls a elemental game.
"It's hoops astatine the extremity of the day," said Durant, who has played for the U.S. arsenic good arsenic anyone who had ever done it — if not better.
He present has 354 points successful his 19 Olympic games (18.6 per game), surpassing the 336 that Carmelo Anthony scored successful his 4 Olympics.
But Durant hadn't been crisp yet successful Japan, shooting conscionable 4 for 12 successful the opening nonaccomplishment to France and scoring 10 points successful some games.
"I deliberation it was conscionable a substance of time," Holiday said.
US officials weren't definite of their chances astatine the satellite hoops championships successful 2010, aft nary of the veterans from the 2008 Olympic golden medallists opted to play and near the Americans with a fig of players successful their aboriginal 20s.
Durant averaged 22.8 points and won tourney MVP honors arsenic the Americans won golden and helium ne'er slowed down erstwhile helium made the Olympic roster 2 years later.
He scored 156 points successful 2012 and 155 successful 2016, finishing some tournaments with 30 points successful the gold-medal game.
Though it would go a blowout, the Americans were trailing aboriginal into the 2nd 4th Saturday earlier Durant heated up. His 3-pointer with 6:18 remaining broke Anthony's grounds and helium followed by hitting different connected the adjacent possession.
He kept rolling into the 3rd 4th and by past his teammates had loosened up aft their uneven commencement and surged into the quarter-finals with ease.
Durant is inactive a agelong mode from the apical scorers successful Olympic history. Brazil's Oscar Schmidt scored 1,093 points and Andrew Gaze of Australia had 789. Both of them appeared successful 5 Olympics.
But Durant views himself arsenic acold much than a scorer, anyway. He finished with 8 rebounds and six assists, some squad highs, and besides a blocked changeable that started a accelerated interruption portion playing wrong for an undersized US team.
In his archetypal play backmost from a ruptured Achilles tendon that forced him to miss a season, Durant had to bash it each for the Brooklyn Nets astatine the extremity of the playoffs. Even though Kyrie Irving and James Harden were some injured successful the series, Durant carried the Nets to a Game Seven against eventual champion Milwaukee successful the 2nd round. He had 49 points and a triple-double successful Game Five and 48 successful Game Seven.
He won't person to people that overmuch connected this US team, but he's acceptable to bash immoderate is required.
"I've had a batch asked of maine for each squad I played for since I was 8 years old," Durant said.
"I consciousness similar I person to beryllium prepared to bash everything azygous happening connected the court."
That mightiness conscionable beryllium what it takes.
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