Novak Djokovic needed a bit of time to assert himself on Wednesday at the Paris Olympics before taking control with a five-game run for a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Dominik Koepfer of Germany, reaching the Summer Games singles quarter-finals for the fourth time.

A gold medal is pretty much the only accomplishment of significance missing from the resume of Djokovic, a 37-year-old from Serbia who has won a record 24 grand slam titles and spent more weeks at No. 1 than anyone in the history of the computerised tennis rankings.

That is why Djokovic, the top-seeded man in Paris, has proclaimed success at these Olympics his priority for the year. His one medal so far was a bronze in 2008 in Beijing.

Later in the evening, Spain’s dream team met its match as Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of an Olympic doubles gold medal were ended by American duo Rajeev Ram and Austin Krajicek.

Their progress had captivated the crowds at Roland Garros where Nadal won 14 French Open singles crowns but their journey was ended in a 6-2, 6-4 quarter-final defeat.

The fourth seeded Americans proved a step too far as they combined brilliantly to diffuse the power of the Spaniards despite having few fans inside a packed Court Philippe Chatrier.

The 38-year-old Nadal, who began the Games by carrying the Olympic flame in the opening ceremony, ends it without the medal he craved on what could well be his last appearance on his beloved Parisian clay.

Tsitsipas date

Next up for Djokovic on Thursday is Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Greek beat Sebastian Baez of Argentina 7-5, 6-1.

Against Koepfer, Djokovic was patchy in parts at the outset, not as crisp as when he got past rival Rafael Nadal in straight sets in the second round. This one was 5-all in the first set, with Koepfer ripping big forehands to manage to steer Djokovic along the baseline.

Djokovic would look up at his box, where his wife, Jelena, and their son were seated. He sometimes put his arms out and muttered — as much to himself as to them.

But, he took the last two games of the first set, eliciting chants of his two-syllable nickname from the crowd: “No-le! No-le!” When Koepfer trudged to the sideline, he chucked his racquet at his bench.

Djokovic then began the second set by going up 3-0. That’s when Koepfer was visited by a trainer to get treatment for a blister on his left middle finger.

Djokovic was wearing a grey sleeve on his right knee, which was operated on in Paris in early June after he tore the meniscus during a French Open match.

He is the first man to reach the singles quarterfinals four times at the Olympics since tennis returned to the Summer Games in 1988.

In other men’s third-round results, Tommy Paul of the US was a 7-6 (6), 6-3 winner against Corentin Moutet of France and Taylor Fritz of the US got knocked out of singles by Lorenzo Musetti of Italy 6-4, 7-5.

Top seed in semis

Women’s top seed Iga Swiatek survived a scare against American Danielle Collins to reach the semi-finals after her opponent retired in the deciding set at a hot and humid Roland Garros on Wednesday.

The Pole, overwhelming favourite for gold in light of her four French Open titles, was rattled and stunned by a fierce ball to the body early in the third set, but composed herself to earn a 6-1, 2-6, 4-1 victory.

It was not vintage Swiatek by any means but she lived to fight another day as the first Pole to reach the semi-finals at an Olympic tennis tournament.

The 23-year-old claycourt specialist will face China’s Zheng Qinwen for a place in the gold-medal match after Zheng outlasted German veteran Angelique Kerber in a three-set thriller.

Former world No.1 Kerber’s professional tennis career came to an end as the three-time grand slam champion was beaten by No.6 seed Zheng 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(6).

The 36-year-old German, who announced ahead of the Games that Paris would be her final career event, was two games away from reaching the medal rounds for a second time in her career.

She led the Australian Open finalist 4-1 in the third set before Zheng rallied for the victory in 3 hours and 4 minutes.

Wimbledon champion Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic bowed out with a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Anna Karolina Schmiedlova of Slovakia.

Schmiedlova has eliminated both women who played in the final at the All England Club only two-and-a-half weeks ago.

She defeated Wimbledon runner-up Jasmine Paolini in the third round, and now is the first tennis semi-finalist from Slovakia at a Summer Games since 1988.

Reuters, AP/PTI