Is Wimbledon 2022 Nick Kyrgios' best ever chance of winning a Grand Slam?
In less than 48 hours, the world will know whether Nick Kyrgios is a Grand Slam champion or not. Having reached the final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, his career-first Grand Slam final, the mercurial Australian only has the indomitable Novak Djokovic standing in his way.
But surprisingly, it is the 27-year-old who will come into the clash with a psychological advantage. In two previous clashes against the 20-time Grand Slam champion, Kyrgios has never lost. In fact, the World No. 40 has not even lost a set against Djokovic so far.
On grass, however, this will be their first meeting, and quite understandably, the three-time defending champion will be the overwhelming favorite. In his fourth consecutive final at SW19, Djokovic will be looking to extend the 38-match win streak he has going on on Centre Court.
Djokovic. Kyrgios.
Centre Court. Sunday.
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/GUldzbDgmR
Not since his loss against Andy Murray in the 2013 final has the former World No. 1 been beaten at the iconic venue, and that includes a list of opponents like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Matteo Berrettini among many others.
On paper, it sounds unlikely that Nick Kyrgios is going to be a bigger threat to the 35-year-old than the aforementioned players. But at the moment, he is, without a doubt, the hardest opponent Djokovic could have asked for in the final.
For starters, the 2022 season has been one of his standout seasons on the ATP Tour, especially in recent times. While he hasn't won any big titles to back that claim, the quality of opponents he has beaten in the last six months is proof that when he is on song, Nick Kyrgios is as dangerous a competitor as anyone on the men's circuit.
Wins over Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Nikoloz Basilashvili have come when least expected, as have valiant losses against Nadal, Hubert Hurkacz, Jannik Sinner and Daniil Medvedev. The former World No. 13's attitude on the tennis court has not always been exemplary, but it would be dishonest to pretend that Nick Kyrgios' tennis has been anything but top notch.
Remembering when Kyrgios said this about Djokovic:
"No matter how many grand slams he wins, he will never be the greatest for me... I've played him twice and I'm sorry but if you can't beat me you're not the greatest of all time"
Time for this to change
With the World No. 40, the talent has always been there. The crowds who gathered in the thousands to watch him play at the Australian Open earlier this year can attest to that. Pundits have routinely marveled at how he might be the biggest talent they have seen in the sport in the last decade or two, a sentiment maintained by his fellow professionals as well.
But the final product has always lacked when it comes to Nick Kyrgios. This week at Wimbledon marks only the first time ever that the former World No. 13 has gone past the quarterfinals of a Major. And chances are that the next instance might not even occur despite all his untapped potential.
At SW19, the Australian has been on the receiving end of several strokes of fortune that have come together to make this run possible. To begin with, the decision to bar Russian and Belarusian athletes from the event meant that stern opposition like Medvedev, Rublev and Karen Khachanov were not there to offer resistance in the early rounds.
H2H kyrgios vs djokovic 2-0*
this is the first time in the history of the wimbledon finals that a slam champion has no wins in the head to head against a non slam champion
*men, singles https://t.co/H4yzm1ImUF
Then came the COVID-19 scare that forced the likes of Matteo Berrettini and Marin Cilic out of the tournament, leaving the bottom draw with a fairly depleted line-up. Finally, Rafael Nadal had to withdraw with an abdominal tear from their semifinal encounter, allowing Kyrgios to reach the final without as much as hitting a ball in the days preceding it.
To his credit, Nick Kyrgios has capitalized on all the strokes of good fortune that have come his way at Wimbledon
Credit where it is due, Nick Kyrgios has seized all these opportunities with an iron fist. He beat fourth seed Stefanos Tsitsipas and 26th seed Filip Krajinovic soundly and then consolidated on his victories by getting past Brandon Nakashima in a tough five-setter and Cristian Garin in three with statement wins.
While it will always remain a mystery whether he would have beaten Nadal had the Spaniard taken to court, that is not a mystery that needs to be addressed. The nature of tennis is such that one only needs to beat what is put in front of them, and Nick Kyrgios has done that with flying colors.
Man I am so afraid of Kyrgios. His serve+1 is gonna be lethal, with Novak's return being pretty low quality this year for his standards, it'll be torturous.
It's a match he cannot afford to lose after everything that happened in the past 5 years.
Against Novak Djokovic on Sunday, the 27-year-old will walk out to a crowd that does not necessarily feel the love for him. In addition to his antics, the recent allegations of domestic abuse levied against Nick Kyrgios by his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari have further ruined his reputation in the eyes of most fans.
As much as the former World No. 13 assured reporters that it is something he isn't focussing on at the moment at a recent press conference, it will still be in the back of his mind. Unfortunately, the Serb is one of those opponents that you need to devote an entire mind to in order to just keep up with. Anything less than one's very best will not sail against Djokovic, maybe not even then.
Novak Djokovic v Nick Kyrgios:
Acapulco, 2017: Kyrgios wins 7-6(9), 7-5
Indian Wells, 2017: Kyrgios wins 6-4, 7-6(3)
Something for David, Catherine & Matt to discuss. And they will.
If the World No. 13 can raise his level to what fans have seen from him on the best of days, he can definitely give the 20-time Grand Slam champion a run for his money. Although it is a losing game to predict which Nick Kyrgios will show up on the court on any particular day, it is safe to assume that the final will see him at his absolute best.
#Djokovic: Kyrgios never reached a Slam finals, but between us players, we know how dangerous he is, particularly on grass. He is very confident on the court, and looks to be mentally in a much better place than compared to few years ago. As a tennis fan, I am glad he is in the F
Or at the very least, it will see him trying to be at his absolute best, under the present circumstances. Because, like most fans, the Australian also knows the truth: This might be his best ever chance of winning a Grand Slam.