Wimbledon | Novak Djokovic wins seventh title

The men’s final of the Wimbledon tournament was both unpredictable and expected. Novak Djokovic nevertheless found a way to make history once again, beating Nick Kyrgios in four sets of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 and 7-6. He thus gets his hands on his seventh title at the All England Club.

Nicholas Richard
The Press

On the one hand, a Serb who faced justice in January because he did not want to comply with health measures. On the other, an Australian who will face justice next month because he is being sued by his ex-spouse for domestic violence.

In this duel between two extremely talented bad boys, the table was set and even if the two lost their feathers in popular opinion, the stands were full and the interest in this match was great. For good and bad reasons.

Novak Djokovic arrived with the label of big favorite, even if Kyrgios had won the two duels previously disputed between the two. However, Djokovic hadn’t won any significant titles since the last edition of Wimbledon and he wanted to close the gap between him and Rafael Nadal, who held two more Grand Slam titles than him before the tournament, at the top of the history among gentlemen. Djokovic showed up on center court with a knife between his teeth and it paid off. Even Kyrgios seemed a little helpless in front of the presence of this great champion, triple motivated. “He’s a god, I won’t lie,” he said after the game.

Surprising Kyrgios

This was Kyrgios’ first Grand Slam final. He had never done better than the quarter-finals. Since the start of the fortnight, the 27-year-old athlete had been talked about for the wrong reasons. That wasn’t the first time. Among his various escapades, he notably spat on a spectator, severely yelled at an official and insulted Stefanos Tsitsipas, in response to the Greek.

Even if he is not used to the biggest stages, Kyrgios looked serene, calm in a pinch, during the first round which he won quite easily. He played very simply and let Djokovic shoot himself in the foot. The Serbian’s serve was not on point and his decision-making, especially at the net, was flawed.

Djoko’s troubles were about to repeat themselves. Since the Tokyo Olympics, the 35-year-old athlete has been unable to add a major title to his collection. Nevertheless, things are always different at Wimbledon: “I lost the words to say what this trophy and this tournament represent. It has always been and will always be the most important tournament for me. The one who made me want to play tennis. When I saw Pete Samparas win here, I asked my parents to buy me a racket,” explained the Serb, holding the trophy in his hands.

Experience triumphs

From the second run, the Serbian machine kicked into gear and never slowed down. This round was the scene of long exchanges, to the advantage of Djokovic, possibly the best player in history from the bottom of the field.

The match came down to the final game of the second set when he overcame a 0-40 deficit and erased four break points.

For the rest of the match, Djokovic was a shadow of himself, as was Kyrgios. The 40^e world player has not ceased to blame his mistakes on those around him, in their box in the corner of the field. The more patience he lost, the closer Djokovic got to his 21^e Grand Slam title.

Kyrgios also criticized his clan for not having encouraged him enough when he led 40-0 in the penultimate game of the third set, while serving. Game he ended up losing, as did the round.

Even if he was true to himself, fatigue could also explain many things. ” I am so tired. I never expected to play so much tennis. I will surely take a vacation and I hope that I will come back to the final one day, “said the 40^e world player.

“Nick, you’ll be back, not just at Wimbledon, but in the Grand Slam final,” added the winner.

The match ended in a tiebreaker to the advantage of Djokovic, who seized a seventh title at Wimbledon, but above all a fourth in a row. So he could join Nadal at the top if he plays the same kind of tennis in a few weeks at the US Open.