TOKYO (Dispatches) - Alexander Zverev became the first German to win the men’s singles Olympic gold medal as he beat Karen Khachanov in straight sets at Tokyo 2020.
The fourth seed played some stunning tennis to beat his opponent from the Russian Olympic Committee 6-1 6-3.
Zverev applied pressure from the start and rarely allowed Khachanov to settle, winning in just an hour and 19 minutes at the Ariake Tennis Park on Sunday.
The 24-year-old had beaten world number one Novak Djokovic to reach the final.
“This is so much bigger than everything else in sport,” he said afterwards.
“You are not only playing for yourself, you are playing for your whole country - so this is an incredible feeling for me right now.”
Silver medallist Khachanov, 25, said: “From beginning to the end, he played an unbelievable match.”
Zverev is yet to win a Grand Slam, but he can now add Olympic gold to his list of 2021 achievements, which include the Mexican Open title and the ATP Masters 1000 crown.
Asked if this victory would give him confidence heading into the next major tournament, the world number five said: “I don’t want to talk about the next Grand Slam because I have just won the Olympic Games - and there is nothing bigger than the Olympic Games.