Karen Khachanov reacts to making Tokyo Olympics final

Russian tennis star Karen Khachanov said his dream came true after he secured a medal at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Khachanov, ranked at No. 25 in the world, saw off Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3 6-3 to reach the Tokyo Olympics final. 

Khachanov claimed two breaks in the first set and one break of serve in the second set to book a straight-set win. 

“It was so important to win today because at least you know for sure that you’re guaranteed a medal, which is one of the dreams come true,” admitted Khachanov, per the ITF website. “But obviously, you need to find motivation and excitement, and I will try to be prepared for the final and fight for the gold.”

In the second semifinal, Novak Djokovic clashed Alexander Zverev. 

Germany's Zverev recovered from a set and a break down to beat Djokovic and set up a Khachanov final. 

“Right now I’m not preparing for anybody – first I want to know my opponent and then prepare for him," Khacganov said shortly after clinching the gold medal match. 

Khachanov found his form in Tokyo

“Since last year, when I had a couple of ups and downs and I dropped a little mentally, I started to work on my mindset, my mentality. Mentality means different things for different parts of the match – how do you approach those kinds of circumstances, those kinds of situations, and how you deal with them. I started to work on this part and I’m really happy that it’s paying off," Khachanov said. 

“At the end of the day, your strokes are there, you’ve been practising tennis all your life – you cannot forget how to play tennis. But how you use your shots, in which moments, and how you deal with pressure, this is one of the most important things. This match today was very important for my head.”

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2WsGX8n