Wimbledon 2022 men’s singles final: Nick Kyrgios loses the war, to himself and Novak Djokovic
If quaint old Wimbledon allowed players to enter Centre Court to a soundtrack of their choosing, Nick Kyrgios might have chosen Paul Kelly’s signature tune and bellowed the chorus as a summation of his chequered career to date. He’s most definitely done all the dumb things.
He’s been called every name under the London sun during his animated and often angry journey through the last fortnight at the All England Club. Cretin, creep, disgrace, nasty, narcissistic, a bully and a cheat, according to the tabloids and broadsheets, Stefanos Tsitsipas, John McEnroe and Pat Cash. But there’s something he can’t be called after emotionally imploding – surprise, surprise – in his four-set loss to Novak Djokovic in Sunday’s final: Wimbledon champion.
From an ability to grate to what would have been an achievement truly great – his tennis was good enough, the brain game was not. Everything was ideal when festivities commenced. There was a carnival atmosphere inside the world’s most beautiful tennis arena on a warm, gorgeously blue-skied day of 29 degrees Celsius. Not a breath of wind. Everyone was in such a jolly mood that Kyrgios and Djokovic, once mortal enemies, had vowed to “go nuts” together at a disco when the battle was done and won. The Australian went nuts, even if mildly so by his lofty standards, and it cost him the Wimbledon title in the 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) victory to Djokovic.
First Grand Slam final. Business as usual.#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100pic.twitter.com/q686TbIIaR
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2022
It started so well. The crowd was with him. He received his first rousing cheer from the masses when he hit a tweener in the warm-up. A 200km/h second serve had them rolling in the aisles. A left-handed forehand was good for a laugh, funnier than a line from ladies champion Elena Rybakina’s victory speech: “Without my parents, I wouldn’t be here. For sure.” He serve-volleyed like it was the 1970s. A wickedly topspun forehand had Prince William mimicking the whiplash Kyrgios technique in the Royal Box. He had his head down and his bum up for a while there and he had Djokovic covered.
There wasn’t an expletive to be heard in the first set. For once, it wasn’t his language turning the electric sky the colour it was. He played a set of extraordinary might and power. The serve was untouchable. His sliced backhands skidded like he’d thrown a stone across a pond. The most volcanic character in the history of tennis was composed – but it didn’t last. His incessant complaining and anger directed at his entourage, which included his father, sister and girlfriend, was embarrassing for him – and them. As ever, his composure cracked and then so did his game.
It turned into a war of attrition. They’re not his forte. He ended up at war with himself.
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