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In the opening set, a first-time tennis observer must have wondered how Nick Kyrgios was the man who hadn’t won a Grand Slam singles title before and Novak Djokovic had 20 to his name.
But as the match progressed, those same observers would have had no problems understanding why that was the case.
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Djokovic defeated Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3) in a masterclass of his own, while the Canberran’s implosions undoubtedly contributed to his downfall.
Having been to several Wimbledon finals previously, Djokovic already had one crucial advantage over Kyrgios.
While that could have been disproved quickly, it proved to be the difference between the two.
The Serb was as cool as could be, keeping his emotions in check while his adversary blew up at just about everyone for everything.
As BBC tennis commentator David Law noted on The Tennis Podcast, Djokovic simply “drew Kyrgios into his web” and struck at the perfect moment.
“The last couple of rounds for Djokovic, he’s lost the first set of the last two, he lost the first set against Berrettini a year ago,” Law said.
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“There’s never panic, and he just plays the long game and he just manages these things so, so well.
“He drew Kyrgios into his web, into his type of match. Kyrgios fell for it.”
Fellow Tennis Podcast co-host Matt Robertson added: “I thought it was pretty much a masterclass in how to play Nick Kyrgios from Djokovic.”
The Times’Matthew Syed even likened Djokovic’s performance to “a child dismembering a butterfly: wing by colourful wing.”
For The Telegraph’s Oliver Brown, Djokovic’s experience ensured he simply wouldn’t get drawn into playing Kyrgios’ game.
“Djokovic is what Jurgen Klopp might call a ‘mentality monster’, who, in the defining moments, cuts out his unforced errors with an efficiency that makes him virtually impossible to beat,” Brown said.
“While Kyrgios goes to pieces at the faintest unfairness, whether real or perceived, the Serb never, as his 21 major titles attest, lets his contraction waver.”
As Djokovic represented the human form of a cyborg, Kyrgios was his true, human self.
It’s no secret that he’s an outstanding player with world-class tennis talent.
Writing for the Express, Matthew Dunn said: “Undoubtedly, he is a force of nature and can blow anybody off the court for a period, and so he did in the first set as a surprisingly nervy Djokovic wobbled just slightly under the onslaught.”
But as many pointed out, his worst enemy is himself and it’s perhaps a hurdle too big to jump if he is to become a Grand Slam singles winner.
Law said on the Tennis Podcast that the 27-year-old’s histrionics is “tiring watching and it’s tiring for him” and ultimately “may well never control that and it will hold him back,” while co-host Catherine Whitaker noted that “he cost himself.”
Dunn also elaborated on that same train of thought, as the “finger-pointing” began after a triumphant first set.
“Obviously the fans were to blame, then the umpire for not shushing them sufficiently,” Dunn said.
“Ironically, the members of his own box were not making enough noise. And it’s the “noise” that distracts Kyrgios from delivering on his true potential.”
With the juxtaposition between his on-court ability and mentality during games, it’s left The Times’ Owen Slot chewing on the thought that throughout this iteration of Wimbledon, Kyrgios was “the most fascinating athlete” on show.
“How is it that when he is falling apart, he can still blast Djokovic off the court,” Slot said.
“How can he still dig out two aces a game to push the fourth all the way to the tie-break?
“The very question probably explains why he has been the most fascinating athlete at these championships.
“His game is genius and self-destructiveness. And you will never beat Djokovic with the latter.”
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