THE FLYING KING
Ruthless Djokovic in another Slam dunk with seventh SW19 triumph
NOVAK DJOKOVIC does a mean Grand Slam winner’s speech and no wonder.
Not only has his brilliance compelled him to make 21 of them, he does everything with precision, everything with perfect timing, nothing is left to chance.
In this arena, he does not beat opponents, he dismantles them – slicing their games apart with a scalpel for a tennis racket.
This is one of the most remarkable runs in modern sport. Four consecutive Wimbledon titles and unbeaten on All England grass since retiring injured from a quarter-final against Tomas Berdych in 2017.
And even though he lost the first set to Nick Kyrgios in a furnace, there was an air of inevitability about his seventh triumph at these Championships once he had broken the Australian’s serve and taken the second set.
It is something of a cliche but, in temperatures of 30 degreesplus, Djokovic, 35, was the coolest person in the place.
When he chatted to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge soon after collecting a familiar trophy, it was hard to tell which one of them had just played four sets of elite tennis.
Considering he is closer to 40 than 30, his movement and his fitness are truly remarkable.
And that is why Djokovic will surely match and then surpass Rafael Nadal’s record tally of 22
Grand Slam titles. If the United States relax their Covid rules and let him in for the US Open – unlikely if not impossible – he would probably draw level in New York next month.
He is a machine. This 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 win had a familiarity about it. Lose a tight first set but, essentially, use that loss as a sighter, an educational few games that tell him all he needs to know about his opponent.
And even if Kyrgios had not gone down that familiar path of tiresome antics, of abysmal behaviour, of boorish nonsense, of brattish abuse towards his entourage in the stands, the outcome would have been exactly the same.
The Djokovic return of serve became more accomplished and his own serve more efficient.
The showboating came from Kyrgios – the tweeters, the underarm delivery, the highvelocity second serve.
But the brutal efficiency came from Djokovic, who is not unaccustomed to giving up the first set of a big match.
Sure enough, he duly settled into a clinical groove as Kyrgios duly settled into a series of tantrums.
Djokovic just ignored him, although he might, at some time, reflect on how Kyrgios’ cursing actually made the Serb – a divisive character, to say the least – look like the world’s nicest tennis player.
He was almost serene, needing
single breaks to win the second and third sets.
In the fourth set, Kyrgios did appear to try to make an effort to focus all his energy on duelling with Djokovic – rather than punters and officials – but the champion was just preparing for the decisive moments.
And impervious to any pressure that comes with closing out a Grand Slam final, he triumphed in the tie-break.
It was an utterly professional performance from a player who is on a remarkable mission to prove himself the greatest Grand Slam player of all time.
And few who witnessed this latest triumph would back against him doing exactly that.
For his defeated opponent – who had given Prince George a front-row lesson in industrial language before putting on his red Nike baseball cap to accept his runners-up trophy from the Duchess of Cambridge – there seemed almost a sense of disbelief he had actually been in the final.
Kyrgios insisted he “felt like he belonged” in a Grand Slam final but he then said: “I’m not supposed to be a Wimbledon finalist.”
The Aussie, who can go from brilliant to bizarre at the speed of his first serve in matches and press conferences, started superbly to take the first set in 31 minutes.
But he was soon ranting against his box after losing five consecutive points from 40-0 on his serve before losing the third set. That was after he requested a spectator be escorted from Centre Court. He said: “The one with the dress, who looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro!” He was later fined more than £3000 for an audible obscenity. Never a dull moment with Kyrgios. He sent down 30 aces, one serve at 136mph, and an underarm serve amid a typically entertaining encounter. Afterwards, asked by Sue Barker if this had given him the hunger for more finals, he said: “Absolutely not, I’m so tired. I will definitely need a well-earned vacation after this one.” It remains to be seen if serial underachiever Kyrgios, now 27, will now be a one-final wonder or a serial contender. His court appearance in Canberra next month, where he has been charged with assault, will also have a big influence on his immediate future.
Later, he said: “I feel like if I’d won today, I’d have struggled with motivation. I’d have struggled. I kind of achieved the greatest pinnacle of what you can achieve in tennis. But my level is right there. I felt like I belonged.”
But not quite. He added: “I’m just not supposed to be here. I’m a kid from Canberra. I just feel ridiculous to be here talking as a Wimbledon finalist.
“This is just the example, like, anything’s possible. Someone like me is able to go out there and give Novak Djokovic, keep him out there for three hours in a Wimbledon final, it’s pretty cool.”
I’m just not supposed here. to I’m be a kid from Canberra. I feel ridiculous to here be talking NICK KYRGIOS