Wimbledon is over for 2022. Novak Djokovic wins Grand Slam title 21 after defeating Nick Kyrgios in four sets.
Novak Djokovic wins Grand Slam title 21 and is now one title after Rafael Nadal in the race and one ahead of Roger Federer. The battle to win the most GS titles in history will be between Djokovic and Nadal. However, there is a question about whether Novak will be able to play in the US Open, considering that he is unvaccinated.
Nick Kyrgios played his first grand slam final and didn’t make a fool of himself, at least regarding the scoreline. But he did have the pretty standard “meltdown” midway into the match when the pressure was getting to him. It’s hard to say if the crowd or something else ticked him off, but many commentators on TV, streams and social media complained about his behavior. Still, after the match, most people applauded his efforts and how he managed to push one of the best players of all time to bring out his best.
In the end, the scoreline was not surprising: 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 to Novak Djokovic. This is Djokovic’s 7th Wimbledon title and fourth in a row. If he wins 2023, he will equal Roger Federer’s record of Wimbledon titles.
What happens after this?
Nick Kyrgios was asked whether this has ignited his appetite to work harder. He, perhaps jokingly, said no, but I think there is a chance that he might want to focus a bit more. At least on selected events and matches. He will not be a tour grinder. I think we can all safely say that.
Love him or hate him, he does create headlines for the sport and brings lots of spectators to his matches. Could he do it just with his spellbinding tennis? Yes, probably, but you rarely get to pick and choose with people.
We will see how Kyrgios decides to plan the hardcourt season.
It will also be fascinating to see what Novak’s schedule looks like if he’s not allowed to play the US Open. Many question marks remain. Will he be motivated for the Masters 1000? Can he even play the Australian Open in 2023?
But for now, it’s clear he is chasing history, and he’s damn near at catching Nadal in the Grand Slam race.
