The Serb plans to take his seventh Wimbledon title and the Australian to finally take an unexpected Grand Slam . to conquer
Nobody expected that Novak Djokovic’s opponent in the Wimbledon final would be Nick Kyrgios. His name sounded strong in the groups as one of the most dangerous tennis players in the first rounds, but little else. His record didn’t invite us to think he would rise too much in the tournament, let alone this year, the worst year of his professional career. In March, before playing Indian Wells, his ranking had dropped him from the top 130 in the world. The last time he was this low was for Wimbledon 2014, the tournament in which he became famous by beating Rafa Nadal.
Since that edition, Kyrgios has only reached the quarter-finals once, in Australia 2015. And with that Pyrrus resume and the help of Nadal, who had to drop out from the semi-final due to a stomach injury, he will play the first Grand Slam today. final of his sports career.
The controversial Australian has left his ghosts and put all his tennis on the line to put down a perfect tournament. He already pointed out roads during the grass tour, after skipping all the gravel, a classic that is already in him. He reached semi-finals in Stuttgart and Halle, but at the All England Club he confirmed that if he is focused he can achieve great things.
At 27, Kyrgios parked the trouble, or most of it, and for the first time in his career he will fight for what he aspired to when he was number one junior and won Grand Slams in that category.
“Honestly, I never thought about this. I never thought I would come here,” said the Canberra man, who not long ago considered quitting tennis, considered retiring and gradually left this sport “There are times when I hate this sport, but there are also times when I think I’m one of the most competitive people I’ve ever met. Whether with the console, in basketball or tennis,” he explains.
“I like tennis, but I like competition, going out and playing against someone. I like winning or losing in the sport. Win or lose, I will be happy. This is an incredible achievement for me that I never imagined that I would achieve it. Especially at my age,” added the ‘Aussie’, who will indeed not have an easy time as he will be measured against the man who has achieved the most success here in recent years.
Kyrgios will take on Novak Djokovic, holder of six Wimbledon crowns, including the last three editions. The Serb is aiming for a fourth consecutive All England Club title, as Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras and Roger Federer did in the Open Era. He is also aiming for a seventh Wimbledon, like William Renshaw and Sampras, and a twenty-first Grand Slam, to tie the bond with Federer and place himself behind Nadal.
Djokovic is also in a race against time, because if he doesn’t win here, he would have to wait until Melbourne to close the gap with Nadal. The United States, which has not been vaccinated, will not allow him to enter the country.
His favoritism makes sense, but he has left doubts throughout the tournament. A lost set against Soonwoo Kwon, one against Tim Van Rijthoven, another against Cameron Norrie and two against Jannik Sinner, in the biggest sign of danger that the Belgrade has avoided until the final.
The feeling with him is the same as with other tournaments: he will only level up when he finds it necessary. Therefore, it is hard not to think that all odds are in his favor, even though Kyrgios is one of the two active tennis players who have met Djokovic more than once and remain invincible against him. The Australian has not lost a set to the Serb, but their duels date back to the early months of 2017, when Djokovic suffered a slump in the game.
The final (3pm Spanish time) will be preceded by a tribute to Manolo Santana, who died last December and became Wimbledon champion in 1966.
Source: La Verdad
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