Novak Djokovic produced a masterclass to secure a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon 2022 men’s singles final on Sunday. Djokovic used his steady brilliance to outclass the trick-shot-hitting Kyrgios and claimed his fourth consecutive crown at the grass-court major. After dropping the first set for the third straight match, the Serbian top-seed rallied to clinch his seventh Wimbledon title to draw level with Pete Sampras’ mark. Roger Federer leads the list with eight Wimbledon titles.
The 35-year-old Djokovic, who lifted his 21st Grand Slam title, is now just one behind Rafael Nadal’s record of 22 major crowns. The Serbian delivered a terrific play of tennis at its highest level. Djokovic waited for his opponent to lose focus. The Serb waited to find his proper read on the Australian’s big serves.
Despite his opponent firing 30 aces in a three-hour, one-minute encounter, Djokovic produced a performance of stubbornness and style to extend his winning streak to 28 matches at SW19. Kyrgios started well with an underhand serve and between-the-legs baseline shots. The 40th-ranked Aussie won 15 consecutive points on his serve and hit 14 winners to four unforced errors.
The 27-year-old Kyrgios’ challenge was angrily unraveled after a blistering start. Kyrgios, who had never been to a major semifinal before this tournament, failed to keep up the torrid pace. When Djokovic grabbed the momentum and took the upper hand, the Aussie began to chirp at the umpire.
In the second set, with Djokovic serving at 5-3, Kyrgios got to love-40 with a trio of break points. But the Aussie went on to play a couple of casual returns, and Djokovic eventually held. And then, in the third set, with Kyrgios serving at 4-4, 40-love, he again let a seemingly sealed game get away, with Djokovic breaking there.
Kyrgios failed to withstand the relentless pressure from Djokovic’s high-class groundstrokes. The Aussie, who tried to become the first unseeded men’s champion at Wimbledon since Goran Ivanisevic in 2001, made several unwanted errors. Djokovic held his nerves in the fourth set tiebreaker and got the better of Kyrgois with ease to win the title. Djokovic registered his first tour-level win in three attempts against Kyrgois.
