Andy Ram admits he faces a vicious struggle to overcome the pain and heartache of Olympic failure.
Israeli Ram and partner Jonathan Erlich were beaten in the quarter-finals in straight sets by eventual winners Bo and Mike Bryan of the USA.
And Ram, who will be 36 by the time the Olympics arrive in Rio, says this latest setback will be difficult to move on from.
“This is one of the most disappointing and painful defeats of our career,” he said.
“We played well, had our chances, but failed to make the most of them. I usually recover well from defeats, but this one will be tough to overcome.”
The Israel pair had hoped to get on the podium at London 2012 and impressed during their victory against Switzerland’s 2008 Olympic champions Roger Federer and Stanislas Wawrinka.
“We’re very pleased with the level of tennis we’ve played here this week. That’s how we wanted to play at the Olympics,” added Erlich.
“We’ve had three tough matches and a pretty tough draw. It’s not about being proud of ourselves, we’re disappointed to lose as we believed we could win the tournament.”
The pair have yet to confirm whether they will compete in Brazil in four years time after failing to reach a place on the podium once again.
Erlich will be 39 by the next time the Games come around but with experience and the conditions on his side in Brazil, he will not rush into retirement.
Asked if he will line up one last time for his nation, he replied: “Maybe, maybe, we’ll see.” Don’t bet against it.”
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