Second seed Andy Murray became the first man to win two Olympic gold medals in the men’s singles event when he defeated unseeded Argentine Juan Martin Del Potro in a four set-match – 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 – that lasted 4 hours and 2 minutes, making it the longest tennis match at the 2016 Olympics.
Murray, having won Olympic Gold on home soil four years ago, has achieved what no other man in the modern era of the Olympics has. But Del Potro, the Argentine returning from injury, played like a man reborn throughout the men’s singles tournament and could have become the first man to win an Olympic Gold after knocking out the top three seeds on his way.
Del Potro’s first round match pitted him against World No. 1 and first seed Novak Djokovic, not in the best of form recently but still a force to reckon with. Djokovic was defeated in straight sets 6-7 6-7 as the Argentine made his way to the semi-final, where met Rafael Nadal.
What followed was a humdinger, as Nadal, fresh from the exertions of a gold-winning performance in men’s doubles, still managed to grind it out against the big-serving Argentine, Del Potro eventually squeaking through 5-7 6-4 7-6, the last set lasting 85 minutes.
In comparison, Murray had a much easier route to the final, beating unseeded opponents Viktor Troicki, Juan Monaco and Fabio Fognini along the way. His first real challenge came in the semi-final, where he faced Japanese sensation and fourth seed Kei Nishikori. But the defending Olympic gold medallist had enough to put Nishikori away in straight sets.
In the end, there were a few positives for men’s tennis from the Olympics, which always seems to throw up surprises.
Rafael Nadal showed he could last an entire tournament. The Spaniard, seeded third in the singles, also played the doubles and won the gold along with countryman Marc Lopez, outlasting Florin Mergea and Horia Tecau of Romania. Although Rafa lost the bronze medal match to Nishikori, he became only the second man after Nicolas Massu of Chile to win gold in the singles and the doubles events at the Olympics.
Juan Martin Del Potro, for long injured and on the sidelines, continues to have believers in his ability seven years after a shock US Open win over Roger Federer. The Argentine played some wonderful tennis, but could not last the distance as he sent a backhand long to win silver, but reminded everyone of his precocious talent.
Del Potro had previously won the bronze at the 2012 London Olympics, having been ousted by Federer on that occasion, the final set ending 19-17 in favour of the Swiss master.
All this, and Murray himself, should make for a very interesting US Open and a cracker of an ATP World Tour Finals to be held at the O2 arena in London later in 2016.
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