If three straight Wimbledon titles weren’t enough, then make it four.
Novak Djokovic was calm and composed in a match that would span just over three hours, as he defeated Nick Kyrgios 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6(3) and inevitably raised the winners trophy in Wimbledon at the All England Club.
The victory marks the seventh Wimbledon title for the Serbian, tying him with Pete Sampras and trailing only Roger Federer (8). The 35-year-old has now won 28 consecutive matches at the tournament.
“Every single time, it gets more and more meaningful and special,” Djokovic said in his post-match interview. “It always has been, and will be, the most special tournament in my heart.”
His 21st major title puts him one ahead of Federer (20) and now trails only Rafael Nadal (22) for the most in men’s tennis history.
The common theme for Djokovic in this year’s tournament was his ability to battle back from an early deficit. In the quarters, he dropped the first two sets to Jannik Sinner before rattling off three straight to advance.
Similarly, in the semi-finals, Djokovic dropped the opening set to Cameron Norrie before finding his form and cruising to a win.
With Kyrgios standing across from him in the final, the pattern continued when early on the Australian seemed unfazed by his first Grand Slam finals appearance. He went unbroken in the first set, smashing seven aces. One of which was a decisive strike on set-point.
It was at this point that the experience and composure paid dividends for Djokovic, as he slowly but surly began to take over.
With the second set tied 1-1, Kyrgios was broken at love as the frustration began to settle in. Later on, with Djokovic serving for the set, Kyrgios failed to capitalize on four break-point opportunities as the Serbian would go on to even the match.
Another missed opportunity for the Australian came in the third set where he was broken after being up 40-love, giving Djokovic a chance to serve for, and inevitably win the set.
Finally, in the fourth set, both men held serve all the way through to a tie break.
Djokovic claimed the first two points before Kyrgios was able to get on the board, but it was from there “The Joker” took over. He won four straight points to go up 6-1 and would eventually emerge victorious on the third championship-point.
For the match, Djokovic won 83% of his first service points, compared to just 71% for Kyrgios. The Serbian was also broken just once throughout the entirety of the match, saving five of his six opportunities.
As for Kyrgios, his big serve was evident, striking twice as many aces as his opponent with 30. Despite the loss, his performance was enough to garner praise from the champion after the match.
“Nick you’ll be back, not just at Wimbledon but in finals,” said Djokovic in his post-match interview. “You showed why you deserve to be one of the best players in the world.”
