Venue: All England Club Date: 10 July Time: 14:00 BST Coverage: Live on BBC One from 13:00 BST, with coverage via radio, online, BBC iPlayer, Red Button, TVs connected and mobile application.
What can happen when two of the most polarizing tennis players are on the biggest stage of their sport? “Fireworks” – according to Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic faces Australian Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday: one has been a 20-time Grand Slam champion and the other is a major debutant in the singles final.
Both fuels on a tennis court.
From breaking rackets to arguing with referees and difficult exchanges with the crowd, these two players have a catalog of fire episodes behind them that make this a fascinating match.
Of course, in the face of royalty and with a prestigious trophy at stake, they may have their best behavior, but as Djokovic himself expects an explosive final, let’s see why it can be.
Rackets and rackets
Both players have had many clashes with referees over the years. If they are not happy with something, they often do not stop.
In the final of the 2020 Australian Open, Djokovic kicked referee Damien Dumusois in the foot, saying angrily, “You became famous in this match. Great job” when he wasn’t happy about receive time violations. Later, the Serb apologized for his outburst.
Seven months later, Djokovic was incompatible with the U.S. Open after accidentally hitting a ball to a line judge in his fourth-round game: he had hit the ball frustratedly for losing his service and had hit it. behind him angrily.
The 35-year-old has also put aside his feelings for his team, including the spectacular demolition of a racket in Monte Carlo in 2019 – and when he threw another in the crowd in that same match – and also in shattered another in his Australian Open 2021. quarterfinals against Alexander Zverev.
A ball girl was left sweeping the pieces of the court after the one in Melbourne and while acknowledging that it was not the best way to channel her emotions, Djokovic added: “When I broke the racket, the things started to change for me. a positive direction “.
Kyrgios has also cleared rackets, just last month he left a pile of metal and ropes next to his seat during a change in a win over Stefanos Tsitsipas at Halle.
Not all is lost: in 2019 he handed an almost recognizable racket to a young Washington fan as a souvenir.
The 27-year-old has also had countless breaches of the code for swearing in and is estimated to have paid around A $ 800,000 (£ 455,000) in fines during his career.
“Love-hate relationship” with the crowd
After his semi-final victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Friday, Djokovic was booed by parts of the Center Court when he kissed a fan who had been bothering him.
There was an even louder boo when he mentioned his next opponent, Kyrgios.
It will be interesting to see who gets the biggest support from the nearly 15,000 spectators from the stands on Sunday.
Despite his great success and supreme talent, Djokovic has often found himself unable to warm the hearts of those who watch him.
When he faced Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final, an epic encounter was marred by the Serbian’s booing.
His failures were applauded and he was mocked in a partisan atmosphere that was more often found in football stadiums than on the central court.
Djokovic saved match points and won a classic final, with experts urging fans to show more respect for a great player.
He often puts his ear to the crowd to encourage him to applaud when they don’t arrive.
His reluctance to have a vaccine against Covid-19 has not been well received by some – a shout of ‘Novax’ was heard during Norrie’s match – and his deportation from Australia earlier this year for his vaccination status also divided opinion.
But it seems clear that Djokovic just wants to be liked: he was moved to tears at last year’s U.S. Open final by the stifled reaction from Arthur Ashe Stadium as he tried unsuccessfully to fight Daniil Medvedev.
Kyrgios, on the other hand, also has a complex relationship with those who observe him.
He admitted he spat at a fan during his first-round match at Wimbledon, receiving a $ 10,000 (£ 8,300) fine for his behavior in that match.
But he has also committed to the fans, asking one in the crowd where he should serve at the starting point during last year’s Wimbledon.
It’s also still an eye-catching visual: there’s barely been a spare seat at his Wimbledon matches over the past two weeks, and his tricks make music videos popular.
“It’s a love-hate relationship with Nick,” great Australian doubles Todd Woodbridge told BBC Sport. “People are not in favor of their way of behaving, their way of speaking and their way of respecting people, but they do see it. That’s why we will be watching large audiences for television in Australia.” .
The Wimbledon final comes at the end of a week, Kyrgios learned that next month he will appear in Australian court in connection with a common assault allegation.
Tennis ‘off’
Even if you take the emotions out of the equation, the tennis brand that Kyrgios brings is explosive enough.
Armpit services and hot dogs make him mix the unconventional and unpredictable with a huge service that is notoriously difficult to break.
The pair have played twice, with Kyrgios winning both clashes in 2017 in consecutive sets.
“He turns off the lights every time he goes out on the track,” Djokovic said of Kyrgios, with whom he had a strong relationship in the past before a new ‘bromance’.
“Just a lot of power in his service and his game. So I’m sure he will. He will definitely be aggressive. I hope he does.”
In the past, Kyrgios has talked about his struggles with motivation, saying training is boring and even banned for lack of perceived effort, but this is not the case on big occasions.
“He’s a great game player,” Djokovic said. “If you look at his career, the best tennis he’s ever played is against the best. That’s why we all respect him, because we know what he can do.
“The experience I have at this level, playing in the finals against someone who has never played a Grand Slam final, could be slightly in my favor. At the same time, knowing who he is and how his tennis and his attitude on the track, it seems that not much pressure falls.
“One thing is for sure there will be a lot of fireworks emotionally on both sides,” he added.
“It’s going to be an interesting match.”