"Nick would have won, but as we know, Novak is probably the best returner in the world and maybe of all times" - Patrick Mouratoglou weighs in on Novak Djokovic's Wimbledon triumph
Patrick Mourataglou dissected the Wimbledon final between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios from the lens of a coach and an analyst. He believes that Kyrgios had a great chance of winning the match if not for Djokovic's exceptional returning capabilities, and declared the Serb as probably the 'greatest returner of all time.'
After dropping the opening set, the top seed stormed back to defeat Kyrgios, who is known to have one of the best serves in the men's game currently, in four sets. While the Serb also made similar comebacks in his quarterfinal and semifinal matches, it was a bit tougher to do against a player like Kyrgios.
Speaking in a video posted on his Instagram page, Mouratoglou analyzed the Wimbledon final and expressed that Kyrgios would have won the title if he wasn't facing Djokovic.
"The ability of Novak to return was also very important because then the key of the match became the rallies," the French coach said, adding, "At the start of the match, it was not about rallying because it was only about serving. And if it would have stayed like that, for sure Nick would have won. But as we know, Novak is probably the best returner in the world and maybe of all times."
Mouratoglou likened the 21-time Grand Slam champion to a boxer, taking his time to study his opponent's style of play at the start of the match before delivering defining punches.
The Frenchman observed that Djokovic read Kyrgios' style of play in the opening set and was much better prepared to face him in the next three sets.
"In that first set, Novak was like a boxer in the first round of a match. He was looking at his opponent, checking where he serves, where he goes on the big points, how he plays. And then when he lost the first set, he was ready for what's coming next. There were really two matches in one. For sure, the experience of Novak played a very important role because he never panicked," Mouratoglou said.
He then looked back at similar instances in Grand Slams over the last two seasons where the Serb made comebacks after being a set or two down. He returned from two sets down against both Lorenzo Musseti and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the French Open last year, and also against Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon quarterfinals this year. He also made comebacks from a set down against Cameron Norrie in the semifinals and Kyrgios in the final.
"Same here in the final, one set down, he doesn't panic. He's like, okay now I have the full image of how you play, what you're gonna do and now I'm ready to compete," Mouratoglou added.
"My level is right there" 🔥
@NickKyrgios reflects on his Wimbledon final against Novak Djokovic, how he was able to compete and come out really strong in the first set🎾🌱
Full interview in app 📲 https://t.co/3byh3wdNb3
The 52-year-old, who is Serena Williams' former coach, lamented Kyrgios' loss of concentration in the final as a major reason behind his loss. Mouratoglou stated two specific service games of Kyrgios, which he lost from 40-15 and 40-0 up respectively, as key moments in the match.
The Australian player's short-tempered attitude during matches is regarded by many as the main reason behind his losses from winning situations. However, Mouratoglou believes that a lack of ability to stay focused at all times is the real reason for Kyrgios losing big matches.
"The problem in that match that Nick had to go through was the loss of concentration, the loss of focus. He got broken two times when he was 40-15, and 40-0. Because as he was serving great and leading in the game, he just lost focus, then deuce, and then he was again in danger."
"The fact that he is struggling to keep his focus at every single point is a problem than the fact that he gets angry at people, which actually brings his focus back a lot. He has a lot in common with John McEnroe in this," continued Mouratoglou.
Kyrgios should have taken more risks against Djokovic: Patrick Mouratoglou
Mouratoglou further opined that Nick Kyrgios should have taken more risks in the final, particularly because he was facing a great player like Djokovic. The coach believes that the Aussie's biggest strengths are creating uncertainty for the opponent and playing fearlessly at all times, and he missed both those aspects against the Serb.
"That's one of the biggest assets of Nick - to be able to create that uncertainty. Against Novak in a Grand Slam final, I would think that he would take take many more risks, create much more uncertainty...hitting the ball much harder," Mouratoglou said.
Novak Djokovic. Nick Kyrgios. Wimbledon final.
Let the fireworks begin...
#Wimbledon | #CentreCourt100 https://t.co/K37h8DNYri
Djokovic entered the final with a 0-2 win-loss record against Kyrgios and lost all four sets played in those matches. However, the Wimbledon final was their first clash at a Grand Slam, and Djokovic lived up to his reputation of being difficult to defeat in 'best-of-five-set matches.'