Djokovic isn’t fazed by a deficit — in a game, a set, a match. He doesn’t mind solving problems. And at Wimbledon, for some time now, he is undefeated. Djokovic used his consistent brilliance to defeat the ace-handling, trick-hitting, constantly-talking Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) on Sunday for a fourth straight All England title . Club and seventh overall. “Each time, it becomes more and more meaningful and special,” top-ranked Djokovic said. “It has always been, and will always be, the most special tournament in my heart. The one that motivated and inspired me to start playing tennis in a small mountain resort in Serbia.” He extended his unbeaten run at a grass-court Grand Slam tournament to 28 matches and took his career tally to 21 major trophies, breaking a tie with Roger Federer and falling just one behind Rafael Nadal’s 22 for the most in men’s tennis history. On the men’s side, only Federer, with eight, has won more Wimbledon titles than Djokovic. In the professional era, only Federer was older (by less than a year) than the 35-year-old Djokovic when he won at the All England Club. WATCHES | Djokovic claims 7th Wimbledon title and 21st career Grand Slam title:
Djokovic beats Kyrgios for 7th Wimbledon title
The top star won his 4th consecutive Wimbledon title by defeating Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3). That comeback on a sunny afternoon followed those in the quarterfinals, when Djokovic erased a two-set deficit against No. 10 Jannik Sinner, and in the semifinals, when No. 9 Cam Norrie grabbed the opening set. In last year’s Wimbledon title match, Djokovic dropped the opening set. Kyrgios was terrific early on Sunday, almost perfect in the first set, hitting 11 aces before making a second uncharacteristic error. Could it last, though? There were two particularly significant moments, ones Kyrgios wouldn’t let go as he engaged in running monologues, shouting at himself or his entourage, earning a warning for swearing, finding reason to argue with the chair umpire he punched before the match. , and smashing a water bottle. In the second set, with Djokovic serving at 5-3, Kyrgios reached love-40 — a trio of break points. But Kyrgios played some casual returns and Djokovic eventually held. When that set ended, Kyrgios waved dismissively at his box, sat down and dropped his racket on the turf, then looked, at no one in particular: “It was love-40! Can it get any more or what?! Is that big enough for you?!” And then, in the third set, with Kyrgios serving at 4-all, 40-love, he again let a seemingly sealed game slip away, with Djokovic breaking.
Kyrgios’ quest to make history is lagging behind
The 40th-ranked Kyrgios was looking to become the first men’s Wimbledon champion since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001. Ivanisevic is now Djokovic’s coach and was on the Center court for the match. Kyrgios, the 27-year-old Australian, had never made it past the quarterfinals in 29 previous Grand Slam appearances — and the last time he made it even that far was 7 1/2 years ago. However, his talent is undeniable. But over the years, Kyrgios has drawn more attention for his preference for style over substance on court, his storming status that has earned him suspensions and suspensions, and his taste for nightlife. In the past two weeks alone, Kyrgios has racked up US$14,000 in fines — one for spitting at a spectator after a first-round win, another for cursing during a wildly contested win against No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the third round — and caught flack for wearing a red hat and sneakers before or after games in an all-white venue. It also emerged that he is due to stand trial in Australia to face an assault allegation. On Sunday, Kyrgios tried shots between his legs, hit some with his back into the net, hit serves as fast as 218 km/h and dished out 30 aces. He used a serve into the armpits and then faked one later. Perhaps, in a way, it would be fitting for such a unique player to be crowned champion at such a unique Wimbledon.
Missing players, surprises in the tournament
All players representing Russia or Belarus were banned from the All England Club due to the war in Ukraine. among the men held off the field was No. 1-ranked Daniil Medvedev. In response, the WTA and ATP professional tennis tours took the unprecedented step of withdrawing all ranking points from Wimbledon. Elena Rybakina, born in Russia but representing Kazakhstan for four years, won the women’s trophy on Saturday with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ons Jabeur. It was the first Wimbledon title match since 1962 between two women making their debut in a Grand Slam final, and Rybakina, at No. 23, is the second lowest-ranked champion at the All England Club since the WTA’s electronic rankings began in 1975. There’s more: Federer missed the tournament for the first time since the late 1990s because he’s still recovering from a series of operations on his right knee. No. 2-ranked Alexander Zverev sat out after tearing ligaments in his ankle at the French Open. Three of the top 20 men pulled out of Wimbledon after it started because they tested positive for COVID-19. And Nadal withdrew before he was supposed to face Kyrgios in the semi-finals, the first time since 1931 that a man had set foot at Wimbledon in a semi-final or final. Djokovic and Kyrgios didn’t always get along. Kyrgios was quite critical of Djokovic in public until he became one of the first voices in support of the Serb during the legal saga that took place before the Australian Open in January, culminating in Djokovic’s deportation from that country for not has been vaccinated against COVID-19 (which may also prevent him from participating in the US Open in August). This obviously helped create a sort of detente. Kyrgios used the term “bromance” to describe their relationship status. They joked on social media on Saturday, exchanging messages about drinks or dinner, with the winner footing the bill. “He’s a bit of a god, I’m not going to lie,” Kyrgios said when presented with the trophy. “I thought I played well. You won the championship I don’t even know how many times.”
