TOKYO (REUTERS) - Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta claimed the bronze medal in the tennis men's singles at the Tokyo Games on Saturday (July 31), triumphing 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 over a listless Novak Djokovic.
This is Djokovic's second consecutive singles loss and it comes a day after the Serbian was stopped in his bid to complete a historic "Golden Slam".
The world No. 1 had arrived in Tokyo aiming to become the first man to win all four majors and an Olympic gold medal in the same calendar year. But that quest came to an end after he was beaten by fifth-ranked German Alexander Zverev in Friday's semi-final.
Saturday's loss to Carreno Busta marks Djokovic's third appearance and second defeat in a singles bronze medal match. He won the bronze at the Beijing Games in 2008 before losing to Argentina's Juan Martin Del Potro in London four years later.
The Serb later pulled out Saturday's mixed doubles bronze medal match with a shoulder injury, meaning he will leave Tokyo without a medal for the third Games in succession.
His withdrawal from the mixed doubles means Ash Barty and John Peers bag a bronze medal for Australia.
"I do have a regret for not winning a medal for my country and opportunities missed both in mixed doubles and singles and, yeah, I just didn't deliver yesterday and today," Djokovic told reporters.
"The level of tennis dropped also due to exhaustion, you know, mentally and physically."
Players have struggled with the Tokyo heat and humidity throughout the tournament, requiring cold showers, ice packs and other cooling fans.
"But I don't regret coming to the Olympics at all," he said.
"Of course not. I believe there is no coincidence in life, everything happens for a reason and I had some heartbreaking losses at the Olympic Games and some big tournaments in my career."
Djokovic, 34, pledged to give it one more shot at the Olympics in three years' time in Paris.
"I know that I will bounce back. I will try to keep going for the Paris Olympic Games. I will fight for my country to win medals. Sorry that I disappointed a lot of sports fans in my country, but that's sport."
The Serb can still win all four majors in a calendar year - only achieved in the men's game by Don Budge and Rod Laver (twice) - when he competes at the U.S. Open which starts on Aug 30.
"The consequences physically hopefully will not create the problem for me for (the) US Open. So that's something that I'm not sure about right now, but I'm not regretting for giving it my all because at the end of the day when you play for a country that's necessary.
"I know that those losses have usually made me stronger."
