Novak Djokovic was made to work in his straight-sets win over Lorenzo Musetti, but he was unhappy with the chair umpire, and his frustration spilled onto his coaching team.
Djokovic, competing in his fifth Olympics, is probably the most decorated Olympian in tennis who has yet to capture a gold medal for his country. He has now reached the semifinal stage on four occasions and has played for a bronze medal in the play-off event twice in the past.
He won Serbia's only tennis medal (bronze) at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by beating James Blake. He's had to settle for fourth place in 2012 (London Olympics) and most recently in 2021 (Tokyo Olympics).
The 37-year-old made history on Friday evening as he secured a hard-fought 6-4, 6-2 win over the energetic Musetti to become the oldest Olympics singles finalist.
There were doubts about his physical condition for the match after the knee injury he sustained at the 2024 French Open two months ago resurfaced while playing Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarterfinal, and he had to take a medical timeout.
Djokovic did not show any signs of wear and tear or hint of pain while playing Musetti. But there was an obvious moment of fury in the second set when he was handed a time violation by chair umpire Jaume Campistol.
The top seed was serving at 1-1 when he was struck with a second time violation in the match, resulting in a loss of a first serve. He was then handed a code violation for berating the umpire's judgment.
"You're trying to do your job, you know how it is on court right? You recognise the right moment to do it."
Djokovic could not get over it, and the crowd started booing as he conversed with Campistol. He walked back to the baseline to serve, feeling ruffled and annoyed with the decision. It clearly affected him in the game because Musetti broke his serve for the second time in the set.
The World No. 2 went back to his seat and began expressing his fury toward his coaching box, which included his wife, Jelena, watching on. He shouted in his native Serbian, almost as if he wanted some sort of encouragement.
His response was immediate. Musetti's lead hardly lasted, as Djokovic broke back after the change of ends to level at 2-2. He won four straight games and sealed victory on his third match point after almost two hours.
Djokovic will play second seed Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday's final. It will be their second meeting of 2024 and a rematch of last month's one-sided Wimbledon final, which the Spaniard won in straight sets.
This time, Djokovic will be an even bigger underdog to win the match, but he has guaranteed Serbia their best-ever finish at the Olympics tennis tournament and shared his delight on X after his semifinal.
"This dream is long lived and fought for. I wanted to compete in the finals of Olympic games for such a long time. Representing my country at a global event is a huge privilege and honor that I cherish. Serbia will have a medal on Sunday!!! Ideeeemooooo."
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