Andy Murray conceded he was hurting after going down to a narrow defeat in the men's doubles quarter-finals at Tokyo 2020 but insisted he did not regret prioritising the competition over the singles.
Team GB duo Murray and Joe Salisbury suffered a heart-breaking loss to Croatian pair Marin Cilic and Ivan Dodig at Ariake Tennis Park on Wednesday.
They won the first set but Cilic and Dodig ultimately prevailed 4-6 7-6 (7-2) 10-7, with Murray rueing how close he and Salisbury had come to a semi-final berth that would have guaranteed him a shot at a medal.
Despite falling just short, the two-time Wimbledon winner insisted he did not regret pulling out of the singles tournament to focus on the doubles as he manages a quad injury.
Instead, the singles gold medallist in London and Rio was only looking back to scrutinise some of the decisive points that went against his team.
"No, I don't regret that decision," Murray said. "I think we put ourselves in a really good position to win and do well here.
"This is the one, it hurts a lot, losing that one, because you get through it, and you get two matches for a medal.
"We were just so close. I just wish I could have done some stuff differently at the end of the match, so I regret that, not the decision [not] to play singles."
Tokyo could be the last Olympics for Murray, who has had a torrid time with injuries and will be 37 when Paris 2024 comes around.
"Yeah it is just hard – I hate losing," he said when asked about the potential of it being his last Games.
"I don't know if I’ll get the opportunity to play again, I wanted to try and win a medal with Joe.
"It is difficult to take, it is disappointing – you have regrets and think about points and things you should have done differently.
"I have always loved team sports. I love being a part of the Olympics as I am sure Joe would say.
"It is his first time, so I am sure he will be hungry to come back and do more, and do better next time.
"I know all the tennis players on our team have really enjoyed it and loved the experience, I just wish we could have done better."
Murray added that his leg "felt fine" during the loss, but would monitor how his injury heals before deciding whether he will be able to play the US Open, which starts at the end of August.
Zverev sees off Jarry to claim second Italian Open crown
Alexander Zverev claimed his second Italian Open title following a 6-4 7-5 victory over Nicolas Jarry in the final.
The German, who also triumphed in Rome seven years ago, captured his first silverware of the season - and sixth of his career in an ATP Masters event.
Having dropped just a single set on the way to his 11th Masters final, Zverev continued his impressive form by winning 95 per cent of his first-serve points (37 out of 39) and committing just eight unforced errors.
Jarry had enjoyed an impressive fortnight in Rome, defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas and Tommy Paul on the way to becoming the first Masters finalist from Chile since Fernando Gonzalez (also at the Italian Open) in 2007.
However, just two break points were enough to deny the 21st seed a fourth career ATP title, with Zverev eventually converting his fourth championship point to ensure a return to the winner's circle.
Data debrief
Zverev joins Rafael Nadal (10) and Novak Djokovic (six) as one of only three players since 2000 to win the Italian Open on multiple occasions.
Landing his second crown in Rome seven years after his first, it marks the longest gap in seasons between two men's singles titles at the event in the Open Era.
Meanwhile, Zverev became the most successful German male in ATP Masters events since the format's introduction in 1990, with his sixth such success seeing him eclipse Boris Becker's total of five.
Raducanu withdraws from French Open qualifying
Emma Raducanu has withdrawn from French Open qualifying, which starts on Monday.
Having endured an injury-hit few years since her 2021 US Open triumph, Raducanu was able to enter the year's second grand slam with a protected ranking of 103rd.
However, that was not enough to put her on the automatic entry list and she was not awarded a wildcard, making her third alternate for the women's draw.
No reason has been given for Raducanu's withdrawal from next week's qualifying tournament, and she can now only feature at Roland-Garros if three players drop out.
Raducanu was beaten 6-2 6-2 by Argentine qualifier Maria Lourdes Carle in the first round of the Madrid Open last month, subsequently saying she was "mentally and emotionally exhausted".
A host of withdrawals meant she did not have to go through qualifying for the Australian Open earlier this year, though she was beaten by China's Wang Yafan in the second round.
Raducanu has not made it past the second round in six major appearances since her triumph at Flushing Meadows, and she missed the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open last year after undergoing wrist and ankle surgeries.
Swiatek seals Italian Open hat-trick after soaring past Sabalenka
Iga Swiatek stormed to her third Italian Open title following a dominant 6-2 6-3 victory over Aryna Sabalenka.
The world number one took just under an hour-and-a-half to deny the world number two, and complete a hat-trick of triumphs in Rome.
The pair were contesting a second final in as many events, with Swiatek saving three championship points before eventually prevailing in the Madrid Open showpiece a fortnight ago.
However, it was one-way traffic this time around. The Pole converted two out of three break points as she controlled the opening set.
Sabalenka was the last player to deny Swiatek in a WTA final, that coming at last year's Madrid Open.
Although, the second seed was helpless as her opponent broke again in game seven of the second set, before wrapping up a fourth title of the season ahead of the French Open later this month.
Data debrief
Landing her third Italian Open title before turning 23, Swiatek is only the second player to achieve that feat after Gabriela Sabatini.
In fact, at 22 years and 352 days old, she is the youngest player to win 10 WTA 1000 titles since the introduction of the format in 2009.
The Pole also became the third player to triumph in Madrid and Rome during the same season, after Dinara Safina (2009) and Serena Williams (2013).
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