Wimbledon 2022 - LIVE!
Nick Kyrgios was the anomaly, one of the few players Novak Djokovic had never beaten. And there was belief his unpredictability could make him the disruptor of Djokovic’s remarkable Wimbledon record.
But the Serbian’s own predictable brilliance proved a class apart, sealing a fourth successive Wimbledon title with a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 victory to extend his unbeaten run on Centre Court to nine years.
With such statistics, on paper it seemed beforehand that Kyrgios as a first-time Grand Slam finalist against Djokovic playing for the 32nd time in one of the four majors had no chance.
But during a high-quality match which, at times, promised to turn into an all-time classic, he pushed the 21-time Grand Slam throughout four sets tighter than the scoreline suggested.
It pitted the two apparent villains of men’s tennis against each other and former foes who bizarrely had bonded over Kyrgios’ support for Djokovic amid vilification over his Covid vaccination status and right to be in Australia at the start of the year.
Djokovic’s ability to change the tempo in his favour allied with Kyrgios own demons – he remonstrated with his box, a spectator and an umpire – turned the match in his favour. One wonders what might have been had the Australian simply let his tennis do the talking as in the first set.
