"He is a bit of a God, I am not going to lie" - Nick Kyrgios on Novak Djokovic after going down fighting in maiden Wimbledon final
Nick Kyrgios failed in his bid to win his first-ever Grand Slam title even as Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon final to bag his 21st with a scoreline that read 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3).
Kyrgios, who was a Wimbledon quarterfinalist on debut back in 2014 stated that his opponent was "a bit of a God," over the course of an on-court interview after the match,
"He is a bit of a God, I am not going to lie," Kyrgios said.
Kyrgios: He's a bit of a god, I'm not going to lie. I thought I played well. #Wimbledon
The Aussie congratulated Djokovic, who equalled Pete Sampras' tally of seven Wimbledon titles and also won his 21st Grand Slam title.
"I thought I played well, but first of all I want to congratulate Novak and his team, I dont know now many times he has won it," Kyrgios said.
The Wimbledon runner-up thanked the umpires and ball kids with whom he engaged in several altercations throughout the tournament.
"Obviously to all the ball kids and the umpires, you and I have had a very tough relationship at times. Thank you for putting up with it," he added
When asked if he was hungry for more after having played his first-ever Grand Slam final, Kyrgios stated that he and his team were exhausted.
"Me and my team we are all exhausted. Our team has played so much tennis. I am really happy, it’s the best result of my career so far."
Nick Kyrgios fires in 30 aces but fails to outclass Novak Djokovic in final
Nick Kyrgios broke his opponent early in the first set and held serve with a flurry of booming aces while his fancied opponent seemed to be searching for answers.
Not for long though as Novak Djokovic dug his heels in to take a 4-1 lead in the second set after having lost the first.
The 27-year-old, who let his racquet do most of the talking in the first two sets, gradually transformed into his usual chatty self, challenging calls and having a lot to say to those seated in his player's box.
"It's been an amazing couple of weeks for me"
@NickKyrgios has had an unforgettable run at The Championships 2022
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/NSZybuzMIX
Despite several aces from Kyrgios finding their mark towards the end of the third set, it was the Serb who inched closer to victory, winning 6-4.
The Aussie muttered to himself looking distraught as Djokovic took his time to return to the court for the fourth set.
With the score level at 4-4, Kyrgios managed to get a couple of his best serves in before the Centre Court crowd rose to applaud an incredible winner from the Serb who chased down a Kyrgios drop shot.
The player from Canberra held serve, however, as the pulsating drama continued into a fourth set tie-break with neither player giving an inch.
Djokovic displayed his class by holding his nerve in the tie-break. A couple of crucial errors from Kyrgios took the score to 5-1 but the Aussie fought back to close the gap at 3-6.
There was only so much that Kyrgios could do as it was Djokovic's day on Centre Court as the Aussie won the tie-break 7-3 before engaging in embraces with his team and family in the player's box.
"Maybe one day I will be here again, but I dont know about that," said a philosophical Nick Kyrgios.