Novak Djokovic has won Wimbledon for the fourth time in a row after beating Nick Kyrgios 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 in an electric final to secure his seventh title at the 2022 Championships.
Djokovic dropped the first set after a stunning start by the fiery Australian but bounced back to record his 21st major trophy to move ahead of Roger Federer and one behind Rafael Nadal in the overall Grand Slam singles titles race.
The 35-year-old Serbian picks up a record amount of prize money but will slide down the ATP rankings as there are no points up for grabs this year due to Wimbledon’s ban on Russian and Belarusian players amid the Ukraine war.
Sunday’s final on Centre Court was packed with controversy, with one drunken fan ejected for heckling Kyrgios, another spectator staging a protest about Peng Shuai and the Australian facing jeers for producing a first-set underarm serve.
It is likely the only Grand Slam victory for Djokovic in 2022, with Nadal winning Roland Garros and the Australian Open and the upcoming US Open’s ban on unvaccinated players meaning there is a high chance the world No.3 will not appear.
It was not to be for Kyrgios, who produced his best-ever run at a major tournament and reached his debut final in what has been an incident-packed two weeks – with the world No.40 making headlines for his antics on and off the court.
Kyrgios has been involved in arguments with umpires, line judges, fans, journalists and fellow players – including world No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas. He has been slapped with several fines and controversially broke Wimbledon’s strict dress code.
The 27-year-old is also facing an assault charge for an incident involving his ex-girlfriend Chiara Passari which allegedly occurred in December 2021.
Djokovic, meanwhile, is now just one Wimbledon title behind Federer’s total of eight.
Metro