Djokovic beats Kyrgios to clinch Wimbledon 2022 men’s single title

London, July 10 (SocialNews.XYZ) Top seed Novak Djokovic produced a returning masterclass to beat Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3) in the final to clinch the Wimbledon 2022 men's single title, here on Sunday.

It is Djokovic's fourth consecutive crown at the grass-court major and seventh triumph in London, which draws him level with legendary American Pete Sampras' tally of singles trophies won at the All England Lawn Tennis Club.

The 35-year-old Djokovic is now just one behind Roger Federer's record of eight Wimbledon triumphs, and one Grand Slam title behind Rafael Nadal's record of 22 major crowns.

After some scintillating Kyrgios shotmaking took him to the opening set on Centre Court, Djokovic found his rhythm on return to take the upper hand in an intriguing clash of game styles on Centre Court.

Despite Kyrgios firing 30 aces in a three-hour, one-minute encounter, the top seed broke his opponent at crucial moments in both the second and third sets before a nerveless showing in the fourth-set tie-break sealed the victory and extended his winning streak at SW19 to 28 matches.

It was Djokovic's first tour-level win in three attempts against Kyrgios, who had never been beyond the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam prior to this fortnight in London. Despite frequent moments of trademark brilliance from one of the biggest showmen on the ATP Tour, Kyrgios was unable to resist the relentless pressure from Djokovic's high-class groundstrokes.

The 27-year-old Kyrgios showcased his trademark variety frequently in the early stages on Centre Court. He landed a 125 mph second-serve ace and used an underarm serve in his opening service game, before curling a stunning forehand down-the-line winner for 15/15 at 1-1.

Kyrgios settled in quickly behind his huge serve in warm temperatures in London. He lost just five points behind his delivery in the first set, and a solitary break in the fifth game was enough for him to move ahead as six-time champion Djokovic struggled to make an impact early in his eighth Wimbledon final.

Djokovic, widely considered one of the greatest returners of all time, had been unable to break Kyrgios' serve in either of the pair's previous matches. The Serbian broke that duck in style early in the second set, however, breaking to love for 3-1 as the 20-time Grand Slam champion was typically resilient despite the early Kyrgios barrage.

That proved enough for top seed to level the match, although Djokovic had to fend off four break points to serve out for the set in the 10th game.

Djokovic remained zoned in on return in the third set. The Serbian took Kyrgios to deuce in four of the Australian's service games, as hit cleanly through the ball on his backhand wing in particular. Although he was forced to be patient as Kyrgios found big deliveries at key moments, Djokovic rallied from 40/0 down in the ninth game to claim a crucial break as his masterful returning frequently pressured the Australian on Centre Court.

As the chatter from an increasingly frustrated Kyrgios to his player's box increased, Djokovic calmly wrapped up the set behind some precise serving to move within one set of his 21st Grand Slam title.

Kyrgios regained his dominance behind serve in the fourth set but was unable to make any inroads in his own return games as a composed serving performance from the top seed continued. Accustomed to handling big pressure moments in Grand Slam finals, it was Djokovic who held his nerve with an impressive fourth-set tie-break showing to retain his title in south-west London.

Source: IANS