A Wimbledon final with contrasts: Djokovic is chasing his 21st Grand Slam title, for Kyrgios it is the first final in one of the four major tournaments. Before the showdown, they make a “deal”.
The night before their big Wimbledon final, Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios made an appointment for the party afterwards. “Are we friends now?” Kyrgios wrote publicly via Instagram on Saturday to Djokovic, with whom he had long had a warm dislike.
“If you invite me for a drink or dinner, I accept. PS Tomorrow’s winner pays,” Djokovic replied. Whereupon Kyrgios struck again: “Deal, let’s go to a nightclub and go crazy.”
Since the Australian Kyrgios supported the unvaccinated Serbs in the debate about his refusal to enter the Australian Open at the beginning of the year, there has been a relaxed atmosphere between the two tennis professionals. Today (3:00 p.m. CEST) the 35-year-old Djokovic is the favorite in the game on Center Court and wants his fourth Wimbledon triumph in a row and the seventh overall. Eight years his junior, Kyrgios entered the first Grand Slam final of his career without a fight after suffering an abdominal muscle injury to Spaniard Rafael Nadal. The most important thing about the final:
Series: Djokovic has not only won the last three Wimbledon editions. He has been unbeaten on Center Court since 2013, when he lost to Britain’s Andy Murray in the final.
Records: Djokovic wants his 21st Grand Slam title, which would reduce the gap to men’s record holder Nadal to just one triumph. Djokovic has already secured the record for finals in one of the four big tournaments with his 32nd appearance in the final and is now ahead of Roger Federer (31) and Nadal (30). At Wimbledon, Djokovic could catch up with Pete Sampras with his seventh title, while Swiss Federer holds the record for the history of professional tennis with eight.
Record: In two duels so far, Kyrgios has won twice and has not lost a set. He is only one of three professionals who have played against Djokovic several times and have a positive record.
That’s what Djokovic says about Kyrgios: “We players always knew how dangerous he was, especially on grass. He’s a very complete player with his confident attitude on the pitch. It looks like he’s in better mental shape than a few years ago. Those are the opportunities he loves, on the big stage. Honestly, as a tennis fan, I’m glad he’s in the final because he has so much talent.”
This is what Kyrgios says about Djokovic: «You will probably never see someone who just wins and plays as well as Djokovic. He can build on that experience, he’s proven it so many times, he knows the emotions he’s going to feel. I do not know that.”
