In London On Sunday, Novak Djokovic defeated the trick-shot-hitting, ace-delivering Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to win his fourth Wimbledon title in a row and seventh overall.
The top-seeded Djokovic said, “Every time, it gets more and more meaningful and special. “In my heart, it has always been and always will be the most special competition. the one who encouraged and inspired me to begin playing tennis in a tiny Serbian mountain resort.
The top-seeded Djokovic extended his unbeaten streak at the grass-court Grand Slam competition to 28 matches and increased his career total to 21 major titles, breaking a tie with Roger Federer and moving just one trophy short of Rafael Nadal’s 22 for the most in men’s tennis history.
Only Federer has more titles at Wimbledon among men—eight—than Djokovic. Only Federer (by less than a year) was older (in the professional era) than Djokovic, 35 when he triumphed at the All England Club.
His comeback on a sunny afternoon followed those in the semifinals, where No. 9 Cam Norrie won the opening set, and the quarterfinals, where Djokovic overcame a two-set deficit against No. 10 seed, Jannik Sinner. Djokovic lost the first set of the Wimbledon championship match from the previous year. He eliminated two championship points against Federer in 2019 final.
On Sunday, Djokovic won two crucial points, which Kyrgios refused to let go of as he started speaking in running monologues, yelling at himself or his support staff (which does not include a full-time coach), finding reasons to argue with the chair umpire (earning a warning for profanity), and throwing a water bottle.
With Djokovic serving at 5-3 in the second set, Kyrgios earned to love-40 or three break points. However, Kyrgios only made a few careless returns, and Djokovic eventually managed to hold. Then, in the third set, with Kyrgios serving at 4-all, 40-love, he once more allowed a game that appeared to be sealed to slip away, and Djokovic broke there.
Kyrgios, who was ranked 40th, was attempting to become the first unseeded male Wimbledon champion since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Ivanisevic, who is currently Djokovic’s coach, watched the match from a guest box on Centre Court.
In 29 prior Grand Slam appearances, Kyrgios had never advanced past the quarterfinals and his most recent trip that far occurred 712 years ago.
The Australian woman, 27, who is 27 years old, in some ways stole Sunday’s show. Between his legs, he attempted to fire. He made some strikes while facing the net. produced 30 aces while pounding out serves at up to 136 mph. used an underarm serve before pulling a fake.
Perhaps in some ways, it would have been appropriate for such a distinctive player to win Wimbledon on such a distinctive day.
The All England Club banned all players from Russia or Belarus due to the conflict in Ukraine; among those excluded were Daniil Medvedev, the current US Open champion, who is ranked No. 1, and Andrey Rublev, who is ranked No. 8. In response, the WTA and ATP professional tennis tours made the unheard-of decision to revoke all Wimbledon ranking points.
Elena Rybakina, a woman who was born in Russia but has been a representative for Kazakhstan for four years, won the women’s trophy on Saturday by defeating Ons Jabeur 3-6, 6-2, 6-2. Rybakina, at No. 23, is the second-lowest female champion at the All England Club since the WTA computerized rankings started in 1975. It was the first Wimbledon championship match between two women playing in their first Grand Slam final since 1962.
Because he is still recovering from a series of operations on his right knee, Federer missed the tournament for the first time since the late 1990s. Alexander Zverev, the No. 2 player in the rankings, withdrew after rupturing ankle ligaments at the French Open. After Wimbledon began, three of the top 20 seeds, including 2021 runner-up Matteo Berrettini, withdrew because they tested positive for COVID-19.
Additionally, Nadal withdrew from the semifinal match before he was scheduled to play Kyrgios, marking the first Wimbledon semifinal or final walkover since 1931.
Regarding Kyrgios, his talent is obvious. But over time, his preference for style over substance on the court, his temper tantrums that have led to ejections and suspensions, and his love of the nightlife have garnered more attention than anything else.
In the last two weeks alone, Kyrgios has accrued $14,000 in fines, including one for spitting at a heckler after a first-round victory and another for swearing during a highly contentious victory over No. 4 seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round. He has also come under fire for donning a red hat and sneakers before or after matches at a venue where all-white attire is required. He and the world also found out that he must appear in court in Australia to defend himself against a charge of assault.
They have not always gotten along, Djokovic and Kyrgios. Prior to backing the Serbian during the legal saga that unfolded before the Australian Open in January and culminated in Djokovic being expelled from that nation because he is not immunized against COVID-19, Kyrgios had been quite critical of Djokovic in public (which also might prevent him from participating in the US Open in August).
According to Kyrgios, who used the term, helped foster a sort of détente “They refer to their relationship as a “bromance.” On Saturday, they played pranks on each other over social media, exchanging messages about going out for drinks or dinner, with the winner footing the bill.
“I’m not going to lie, he’s a little bit of a god,” Kyrgios remarked at the trophy presentation. “I believed I performed well. I can’t even count how many times you’ve won the title.
