He had initially baffled the Serb, breaking him soon to win the first set in his final Grand Slam debut. But as the temperature rose beyond 30 degrees in London, and a capacity of almost 15,000 spectators found all the voice, the Australian lost concentration, calm and finally the match 4-6, 6-3 , 6-4, 7-6. (7-3).
Kyrgios had promised “fireworks” before the match and got involved in several furious and often weird discussions with a fan, the referee and even his own stick during the final.
New joke: Djokovic praised Kyrgios for a great battle in the men’s Wimbledon final. Credit: Getty Images
The 27-year-old, who this week declared “I do what I want,” dropped the word f twice in front of two future monarchs. The presence of eight-year-old Prince George, who was sitting next to his parents William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, did not appear to have any containment effect, forcing a red-faced BBC station to apologize to viewers.
In a particularly tense third set as he struggled to stay in the match, Kyrgios, fined twice during the tournament for his behavior on the court, lost patience with a woman in the crowd who said he was drunk and distracted him. speaking during the points.
It was unleashed on referee Renaud Lichtenstein, in scenes reminiscent of his fierce showdown at the 2020 Australian Open, when Canberra described the Frenchman as “stupid” and “damn idiot”.
“He’s drunk out of his mind in the front row, talking to me halfway through the game … What’s acceptable?” Kyrgios shouted.
“I know exactly who she is. The one in the dress, the one who looks like she drank about 700 drinks, brother! Talking to me in the middle of the point.”
The woman was not expelled for the incident and told the media who later located her that she had consumed “two glasses” and that she had supported the Australian from the start.
It is possible that the hot London sun conquered more than one fan during the day, as Pimms and champagne flowed freely from the bar’s emerging bars.
But it was Kyrgios who was drunk with rage, his strange shock continuing with his support team watching from a box.
Even John McEnroe, the most volatile player on the center court, was baffled by Kyrgios’ behavior on the court, telling the BBC: “In a way he beat himself up.”
With a 4-4 lead in the fourth set, Kyrgios had made it 40-0 just to give up the next four points to give their opponent the lead. An unforced error gave Djokovic the break.
The Australian exploded into his support team, heading towards the box of his players, where his girlfriend, Costeen Hatzi, and father, Giorgos, were among those watching.
Furious with rage, he urged his team to show more support, shouting, “What do you want now? Why would you get to a 40-15 or 40-0 and sit all there? Why would you do that?”
He later added: “Why are you afraid? Why are you afraid to say something? I do not get it. Any of you. You all went to your shell. “
To the bewilderment of the central court fans, who had previously given strong support, he then applauded sarcastically with his racket before throwing it to the ground between matches. He received a code violation for one of the outbursts.
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Kyrgios, who shot 30 aces in a match in which he proved to be a worthy opponent for one of the all-time greats in the sport, told the audience that he thought he had “played well” while cheering Djokovic as “a little a god.”
He acknowledged that he had crossed the line at times, thanking the kids on the ball and the referees for “bearing it.” “I know sometimes we have a difficult relationship,” he said.
Praised for his raw talent but criticized for his application, the Australian finished the fortnight with perhaps more fans than he started. But in the end, he remained an unrealized talent.
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