Novak Djokovic's temper got the best of him during his loss on Saturday. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Novak Djokovic threw racket, had outbursts during Olympic loss

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Steve DelVecchio | Last updated 7/31/21

Novak Djokovic will head home from the Tokyo Olympics without a medal, and the world’s No. 1 player allowed his temper to become a major storyline as his bid for the Golden Slam came to an end.

Djokovic lost his bronze-medal match on Saturday to Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta in three sets. The 20-time Grand Slam winner was extremely frustrated at numerous points during the match. He threw his racket into the stands and also smashed a racket against the net. You can see the videos of Djokovic’s outbursts below:

Djokovic just tossed his racquet into the stand. No warning. pic.twitter.com/TMCv29dCnQ

— ‎‎‎‎‎ . (@Ashish__TV) July 31, 2021

#Djokovic smashing his racket, taking cooling showers and throwing his racket at the stands is the highlight of his failed attempt to even win bronze medal at the #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/F4c3j2cDNB

— Ekrem Idrizi (@EkremIdrizi) July 31, 2021

Djokovic still had a chance to win a bronze medal in his mixed doubles match with Serbian teammate Nina Stojanovic, but he withdrew due to a shoulder injury. The bronze medal was awarded to Australia’s Ashleigh Barty and John Peers as a result.

You can understand why Djokovic was disappointed in his Olympic performance, but his behavior was embarrassing. Of course, Djokovic is known for having outbursts on the court. He smashed his racket in anger during the Australian Open earlier this year. He was also infamously disqualified from the U.S. Open last year after he hit a ball in frustration and it inadvertently struck a line judge. You can see the video of that incident here.

Djokovic said after his U.S. Open disqualification that he would focus on controlling his temper, but he clearly has work to do. The meltdowns happen far too often when things aren’t going his way.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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