Novak Djokovic vs. Juan Martin del Potro: Score and Reaction from 2016 Olympics

Novak Djokovic's quest for a gold medal ended abruptly Sunday, when he lost to Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets, 7-6 (4), 7-6 (2), during the first round of men's singles play at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

It was the first major shock in the men's draw, with Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray, Kei Nishikori and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga being among the notable names to advance.

Whether he won or not, tennis writer Ricky Dimon was happy to see del Potro playing his best again:

Entering Sunday, Djokovic owned a decisive edge against del Potro. In their 14 meetings on the ATP World Tour, Djokovic was 11-3, with del Potro's last win coming in Indian Wells, California, in 2013.

While del Potro won bronze in London at the 2012 Olympics, Djokovic was the gold-medal favorite heading into Rio, according to Odds Shark. He's the best men's player on the planet, having won five of the past seven Grand Slam events, but he hasn't yet taken home an Olympic gold medal. Motivation wasn't likely to be an issue for the Djoker.

In what appeared to be a terrible omen, del Potro began his day getting stuck in an elevator in the Olympic Village. The 27-year-old Argentine's publicist, Jorge Viale, shared a photo of him in the cramped quarters:

Del Potro must have left all of his bad luck in the elevator, though. He took the first set against Djokovic, winning the tiebreaker 7-4. Sports Illustrated's Jon Wertheim thought del Potro's forehand was a massive weapon that neutralized the No. 1 player in the world:

Del Potro collected 13 forehand winners in the opening set, compared to four for Djokovic. He was also excellent on serve, winning 75.7 percent of his service points.

Djokovic, on the other hand, didn't look like himself. His frustration was visible at various moments in the set when things weren't going his way. He also committed 15 unforced errors.

The second set largely mirrored the first. Neither player budged on serve. Del Potro had Djokovic on his heels on a few occasions, but Djokovic kept his opponent at bay and didn't surrender a break-point opportunity.

Once again, a tiebreaker was needed to separate the two. When the tiebreaker began, something clicked for del Potro. He had Djokovic running all over the court and jumped out to a 5-0 lead before eventually sealing the win, 7-2.

It was clear how much the Olympics meant for both players based on their reactions immediately after the match, per USA Today's Nick McCarvel:

According to the New York Times' Ben Rothenberg, Djokovic was magnanimous in defeat:

With the win, del Potro advanced to the second round, where he'll meet Joao Sousa. Del Potro positioned himself as a dark horse for gold with Sunday's performance, and looking beyond the Olympics, he may have finally recovered from the wrist injuries that forced him to spend a prolonged spell away from the court.

Post-Match Reaction

Djokovic praised Del Potro for stepping up in the match's biggest moments, per Christopher Clarey of the New York Times:

"

At the decisive moments, he just came up with some extraordinary tennis, and I have to congratulate him. It’s obviously very sad and disappointing on my side to go out in a tournament this early, but on the other hand, I’m glad a good friend of mine, and somebody who has struggled a lot the last couple years with injuries, is back and plays at this level.

"

"It was a wonderful evening from the beginning," Del Potro said, per BBC Sport. "After all the effort I've put in to get back to playing tennis, I've defeated the number one. It was a dream night."

"I think this victory, it’s more big for me because I know my present," he also said, per Clarey. "I know how tough it was to come back in tennis after my third surgery on the wrist, and I think I played one of the best matches of my career."

Note: Stats are courtesy of Rio2016.com.