Djokovic defeats Kyrgios, wins 4th Wimbledon title, 21st Major

Novak Djokovic dispatched Australian Nick Kyrgios to win a fourth consecutive Wimbledon, his seventh career title at the All England Club and his 21st overall major, moving one shy of Rafael Nadal‘s men’s singled record.

“He’s a bit of a god,” Kyrgios said.

The top-seeded Djokovic overcame the powerful and polarizing Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) in a final that he correctly predicted would include fireworks.

Kyrgios provided them, as he often does. It began with an underhand serve and between-the-legs baseline shot in an otherwise sublime first set (points both won by Djokovic) where the 40th-ranked Aussie won 15 consecutive points on his serve and hit 14 winners to four unforced errors.

“I played a Slam final against one of the greatest of all time, and I was right there,” said Kyrgios, who barely slept the previous two nights with anxiety after getting a semifinal walkover due to Nadal’s abdominal tear. “I thought I dealt with the pressure pretty well.”

Kyrgios, who had never been to a major semifinal before this tournament, did not keep up the torrid pace. As Djokovic turned the momentum, Kyrgios began chirping at the umpire (receiving an audible obscenity warning) and his player box and grew frustrated that a female fan made noise during one service game.

Djokovic also lived up to his reputation, weathering Kyrgios’ early power and seizing the opportunities when the Aussie let up. He rallied from love-40 and 40-love deficits to win a game late in the second and third sets. In the deciding tiebreak, Kyrgios squandered his first three service points.

“I knew that [composure] probably was one of the key elements today in order to win against him,” Djokovic said. “Not that he’s not composed, but he has never played in a Wimbledon finals. We know that also he kind of has his ups and downs in the match.”