Wimbledon final: Novak Djokovic defeats Nick Kyrgios to win men’s crown

WIMBLEDON, England — Novak Djokovic continued his mastery at Wimbledon on Sunday, defeating Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to win his seventh title at the All England Club and his fourth in a row.

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With the grueling four-set victory, Djokovic, 35, notched his 21st Grand Slam crown, putting him one major title behind Rafael Nadal on the all-time winners’ list. The Serbian star rallied after losing the first set to defeat Kyrgios, 27, ranked No. 40 in the world. He clinched the match by winning the fourth-set tiebreaker.

“I never thought I’m going to say so many nice things about you, considering the relationship,” Djokovic said of his blossoming rivalry with Kyrgios after accepting his winner’s trophy. “OK, it’s officially a bromance.

“Hopefully this is the start of a wonderful relationship, even off the court. Nick, you’ll be back. Not just in Wimbledon but in many finals.”

At 4-4 in the third set, Kyrgios double-faulted to set up a break point, then hit a backhand into the net to give Djokovic the break. Djokovic then served out to win the set.

Yeah, he’s a bit of a god, I’m not gonna lie,” Kyrgios told the crowd.

Magnificent.

In its 100 years, Centre Court has seen few champions like @DjokerNole #Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/vffvL2f08Q
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2022

Djokovic won at Wimbledon for the first time in 2011 when he was 24 years old. He also won the Grand Slam event in 2014, 2015, 2018, and 2019. The event was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was a record 32nd grand slam appearance for Djokovic star and the first for Kyrgios.

For Djokovic, the victory was his 28th straight at Wimbledon. He had been prevented from playing in the Australian Open earlier this year due to a controversy over his COVID-19 exemption.

Stars of the big screen watch the action unfold 🌟#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 pic.twitter.com/IJipvNakpx
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 10, 2022

Kyrgios, who was playing in the Wimbledon final amid allegations of assault against his former girlfriend, had defeated Djokovic in both previous meetings between the pair. Both occurred during 2017 when Djokovic was struggling with injury and motivation, ESPN reported.

Kyrgios and his then-girlfriend, Chiara Passari, reportedly had to be separated by police after getting into a verbal argument at an Australian quarantine hotel after they returned to the country in October.

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