Lorenzo Musetti saw his Olympic gold medal dreams fade away after losing to Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
Djokovic says the rules are not ideal after a clash with the umpire during his last four Olympics meeting with Musetti.
The Serbian emerged victorious despite his three warnings versus the Italian, coming out on top 6-4, 6-2.
It represented a chance for Musetti to enact revenge on the 24-time Grand Slam winner, with the pair having just met at Wimbledon.
Their SW19 encounter was also a semi-final, with Djokovic winning that clash 6-4, 7-6(7-2), 6-4 in London.
Lorenzo Musetti praises Novak Djokovic after their Olympics semi-final
The duo have now met eight times on the court, with Djokovic winning seven times and Musetti winning just once.
The Italian has certainly put up a fight in his recent meetings with the Serbian, with Musetti impressed by one aspect of Djokovic’s game in particular.
“Djokovic return of serve remains an incredible shot, it is the most impressive thing,” said Musetti, as quoted by Tennis World USA.
“The way it manages to send services where 90% of players can’t even do it or at least put the server in a good position, that’s what makes the difference.”
Musetti was fortunately able to put his latest Djokovic loss behind him rather quickly, with the Italian securing the bronze medal with his win over Felix Auger-Aliassime.
Novak Djokovic still seeking Olympic gold medal
Djokovic issued a positive injury update before the Olympics final, where he is taking on new rival Carlos Alcaraz.
The pair only just met in the Wimbledon final, which incidentally was a repeat of the 2023 final, with Alcaraz winning on both occasions.
The Spaniard also won the French Open this year, proving his ability to shine across all surfaces, having also clinched the US Open trophy in 2022.
Aged just 21, he boasts four Grand Slam titles in his brief career so far, having won all four finals he has played in.
Djokovic meanwhile is a 24-time Grand Slam champion, although the Olympic gold medal has constantly alluded him.
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