Houston Chronicle Sunday

Djokovic-Kyrgios set for combustibl­e final

- By Howard Fendrich

WIMBLEDON, England — Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios used to not get along at all.

Now the two men who will meet in the Wimbledon final on Sunday have developed a bit of a “bromance,” as the 40thranked Kyrgios put it.

“Everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there,” said the 27-year-old from Australia, whose first Grand Slam title match will be Djokovic’s 32nd. “It was healthy for the sport. I think every time we played each other, there was hype around it. It was interestin­g for the media, the people watching, all that.”

Kyrgios, not one for holding his tongue, was particular­ly critical of Djokovic for organizing a charity exhibition tour in 2020 amid the coronaviru­s pandemic. Fast forward to January of this year, and Kyrgios was an early voice supporting Djokovic when his decision to not get vaccinated against COVID-19 led to a legal saga and deportatio­n from Melbourne ahead of the Australian Open.

So where do things stand nowadays?

“We definitely have a better relationsh­ip than what it was,” is the way the top-seeded Djokovic described things.

Kyrgios sounded a tad more excited.

“We actually message each other on DMs in Instagram now and stuff. It’s real weird,” Kyrgios said. “Actually, earlier in the week, he was like, ‘Hopefully, I’ll see you Sunday.’ ”

Well, they certainly will see each other at Centre Court on Sunday afternoon, with quite a bit to play for.

For the No. 1-seeded Djokovic, a 35-year-old from Serbia, it’s a chance to win a fourth consecutiv­e trophy at the All England Club and seventh overall (Roger Federer’s eight singles championsh­ips at the grass-court major are a record for a man).

It’s also a chance for Djokovic to claim a 21st Grand Slam title, which would move him one ahead of Federer and just one behind Rafael Nadal, who withdrew before his semifinal against Kyrgios because of a torn abdominal muscle.

And there’s this to factor in, too: Djokovic can’t know for sure the next time he will get to participat­e in one of the four major tournament­s, the events that matter the most to him these days. As things currently stand, he is not allowed into the United States as an unvaccinat­ed foreigner, which mean he couldn’t go to New York for the U.S. Open in August.

His status for returning to Australia in 2023 is up in the air, too, after his visa was revoked this year.

“Every match, every Grand Slam that I get to play at this stage of my career, there is a lot on the line. I don’t know how many Grand Slam opportunit­ies to win the trophy I will still have,” Djokovic said after beating No. 9 seed Cam Norrie of Britain 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the semifinals on Friday.

“So, of course, I’m approachin­g it with positive attitude and self-belief and willingnes­s to win. There’s no doubt about it,” said Djokovic, who is on a 27match unbeaten run at Wimbledon. “I don’t want to speak about all the details and routines that I have that make me feel well-balanced and prepared. But there are things that I do in order to make myself mentally, emotionall­y and physically wellprepar­ed.”

For Kyrgios, meanwhile, it is a chance to prove that someone with enough talent to have beaten Djokovic, Federer and Nadal the first time he faced each also has enough staying power to triumph at a major. He is 2-0 against Djokovic, albeit in a pair of matches on hard courts five years ago.

Even Kyrgios himself did not expect to see this day.

“I never thought,” he said, “I’d be here at all, to be brutally honest with you.”

The matchup offers one key, intriguing conflict: Djokovic’s returning against Kyrgios’ serving.

“One thing is for sure,” Djokovic said. “There’s going to be a lot of fireworks, emotionall­y, from both.”

 ?? Alberto Pezzali/Associated Press ?? Novak Djokovic, left, will be going for his 21st Grand Slam title, while Nick Kyrgios tries to win his first.
Alberto Pezzali/Associated Press Novak Djokovic, left, will be going for his 21st Grand Slam title, while Nick Kyrgios tries to win his first.
 ?? ?? Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images

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