Djokovic had an initial disadvantage when Kyrgios started quickly. But the experienced 35-year-old struggled to win his seventh Wimbledon title again: he won in 2018, 2019 and 2021 after being canceled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is now behind a Grand Slam title behind the all-time record set by Rafael Nadal of 22.
Then Djokovic – who said Kyrgios is an “incredible talent” and will return to a Grand Slam final – said he “has lost his words about what this tournament and this trophy means to me.”
“It has always been and will be the most special thing in my heart. It motivated me to play at my little mountain resort and I saw Pete Sampras win and I asked my mom and dad to buy me a racket,” he said. and Sue Barker. on the center court with the Wimbledon trophy.
“It was my first image of tennis, it’s getting more and more meaningful and I’m lucky to be here with the trophy.
“It’s the most special tennis court in the world and when you walk on the virgin grass and everything is so geared towards the tennis, the ball and the racket of the players and it has the most recognition in the world.”
Fireworks
It was the battle of one of the greatest against the tennis maverick.
And under the scorching sun of London, with no clouds in sight, it did not disappoint.
Despite playing his first Grand Slam final, Kyrgios, who qualified for the final after Nadal retired due to injury, showed absolutely no sign of being surprised. Faced with the world number 3, his powerful service was booming from the beginning.
The pair exchanged rallies at a fast pace, with supreme accuracy and skill to keep each other alert.
Halfway through the first set, Kyrgios made the first big break. The Australian broke Djokovic’s serve game and, behind his almost irreversible service, got the first set to calm the nerves, if any.
Djokovic, who is playing his 32nd Grand Slam final, has often been the least favored of players when he has played at Wimbledon, often facing Nadal and Roger Federer, and the same happened during Sunday’s final.
Kyrgios ’unique style of play, including his occasional kick in his box, has won over the audience and the same went for the final, with the 27-year-old receiving much of the support.
However, in the second set, Djokovic found his feet slowly but steadily.
He managed to lengthen the rallies, using his skill and endurance to stay in the game and eventually lead Kyrgios.
And in the fourth game of the set, he broke Kyrgios to take a two-game lead, the first time he broke the Australian in his three meetings.
Kyrgios struggled to stay in the set, earning three break points when Djokovic served to tie the sets. But while some complained in the direction of his box, he was unable to convert any of them as Djokovic returned the match to parity.
The third set has been the most even so far. With both players showing strong services, they showed extreme quality while exchanging games.
In the middle of the set, Kyrgios began to show some of the petulance that has affected his career. Some noises from the crowd between the first and second service make him complain to the referee. After closing the game, the television microphone caught Kyrgios asking the referee to expel the offender.
“There’s no other bigger occasion and they did it again and it almost cost me the point,” he said angrily. “She’s drunk, so kick her out. I know exactly who she is: she’s the one who seems to have drunk about 700 drinks.”
In the next match, the pressure started to seem clear on Kyrgios, as Djokovic broke the 27-year-old, leading to a recrimination towards his box during the break between matches.
And, serving for the set, Djokovic made no mistake, returning from a set back to take advantage.
With the end in sight, Djokovic blocked and began to turn the screw. But despite being on new ground, Kyrgios stood firm.
Nothing could separate the pair as they went back and forth, and they finally needed a tiebreaker to decide if Kyrgios could force a final set or Djokovic would get his hands on the famous trophy again.
In the most pressing situation of the match so far, Djokovic’s experience was shown as he took a big advantage, without giving up, as he won a remarkable seventh Wimbledon title.
Then Kyrgios was full of praise for Djokovic, despite his differences in the past, calling him a “little god”.
However, when asked if reaching his first Grand Slam final had made him want more, Kyrgios was blunt.
“Absolutely not! I’m so tired honestly. Myself, my team, we’re all exhausted. We’ve played a lot of tennis,” he told Sue Barker on the center court.
“I’m very happy with this result and maybe someday I’ll be here again, but I don’t know.”