When two ‘villains’ fight in a Wimbledon final | Tennis News

WIMBLEDON, UK – In the last year, Novak Djokovic experienced the highest level of tennis the highest, coming in a match after winning a rare Grand Slam in a calendar year, and the lowest of the lowest, including arrest and deportation after he arrived in Melbourne in January to try trying to defend his Australian Open title.
On Sunday, he will have a chance to win Saturday Wimbledon singles title against an opponent, Nick Kyrgios of Australia, a few, including Kyrgios, think they’ll find the mental strength needed to step into the sport’s biggest stage.
Djokovic earns his spot in the final with a four-set win Cameron Norrie England on Friday afternoon, overcoming some of the early-game conflicts that are becoming routine. He overcame both a strong start from Norrie and the raving hometown crowd on Center Court to win the semi-final, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
It was the only men’s semi-final to take place on Friday.
On Thursday, Rafael Nadal withdrew from the tournament with a tear in his abs. Nadal’s decision not to play after he aggravated a tear in a five-set quarter-final win over Taylor Fritz allowed Kyrgios to go straight into his first Grand Slam singles final. It also ended hopes of a coveted showdown between Djokovic and Nadal, who have won a total of 42 Grand Slam titles but have only played together to win the trophy at Wimbledon once, in 2011. Djokovic won.

Kyrgios and Djokovic
What the match against Kyrgios in the final may lack in historical value – no one, not even Kyrgios, expects him to evolve, at 27, into an all-time great – that could compensate with drama. It’s a duel between two players that many in and around the sport see as villains.
Djokovic’s impulsive and unruly behavior, especially compared to his main rivals, Nadal and Roger Federer, has long made him more feared than beloved, a rival disruptor. tennis that Federer and Nadal first created more than 15 years ago.

Kyrgios, an erratic and explosive talent who has spent his career battling the tennis organization and his own demons, is an uncontrollable and disruptive force who has placed himself into the heat of the Wimbledon spotlight since the very first days of this tournament.
He can explode at any time, and he has been consistently for the past two weeks, in front of the presiding referee, opponents, fans or anyone he considers to be treating him unfairly. . Sometimes it is genuine; other times it is merely to shake and distract his opponent. He has earned $14,000 in fines in this tournament but has played to packed stadiums, with fans coveting his explosive serves or sometimes a swooping shot. pale, and trick shots through his legs.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Kyrgios will face court on August 2 to face charges of assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Chiara Passari told police Kyrgios arrested her in a domestic dispute in December. On the advice of her attorneys, Kyrgios declined to comment on the allegations.
“There will be a lot of emotional fireworks, even though he has never beaten or even won a set against Kyrgios,” said Djokovic, the favorite of the match.
Djokovic and Kyrgios have not competed since 2017, and they have never competed in a Grand Slam event. But the two sparred verbally at the Australian Open in 2021, a tournament that took place during the height of the pandemic.

Djokovic has criticized tournament organizers for the restrictions they place on players coming to Australia to attend the tournament. Most of the players are in limited quarantine for two weeks, but many end up confined to their rooms for 14 days after several people on their special flight to the country tested positive for the virus. COVID-19.
Kyrgios has remained in Australia for much of the first year of the pandemic, making time to deliver food and other supplies to people who have struggled to get them during the country’s strict lockdown. Djokovic, who has refused to be vaccinated, has been skeptical of the public health community’s management of the pandemic.
Long before officials started giving the green light to public gatherings, he staged a tennis exhibition that became an even more viral event. Then, shortly after arriving in Australia, he criticized the rules.
“Djokovic is a tool,” Kyrgios wrote on Twitter.
Djokovic later said in a press conference that he respects Kyrgios’ tennis talent but doesn’t respect him off the court.
Kyrgios hit back, saying he could not take Djokovic’s criticisms seriously because of Djokovic’s behaviour.
“He is a very strange cat, Novak is,” he said. “A great tennis player but unfortunately someone who is partying with his shirt during a global pandemic, I don’t know if I can take that man down.”
Since then, they have reached a wide range of categories. It began earlier this year, when Kyrgios spoke on behalf of Djokovic after Djokovic was detained in Australia over a controversy over his vaccination status, which ultimately led to his deportation.
Kyrgios even described it on Friday as a kind of “bromance”. Djokovic won’t go that far.
“I think everyone knows that no love is lost in a while there,” Kyrgios said. “I think it’s a healthy sport. I think every time we played together, there was hype around it.”
Djokovic said relationships have been much better than before.
“When it was really difficult for me in Australia, he was one of the very few players to come out in public and support me and take my side,” he said. “That’s something that I really appreciate.”
Djokovic is still unvaccinated, and unless the US and Australia change their rules, Sunday’s final could be his last Grand Slam in nearly 11 months, and he’s not hoping for it. will be easy.
Djokovic said of Kyrgios: “He turns off the lights every time he steps on the court. “Just a lot of strength in serve and his game. So I’m sure he’ll go for it. ”
Djokovic struggled to win it first Friday in a blistering, 80-degree sunny day that meteorologists in London called a heatwave. Norrie, a steady swinger who never said die, was the better player early on and into the first games of the second set, going foot by foot and trying to outdo the best racer in the world.
Djokovic has struggled with his serves and to find his signature precision in his ground shots. He also doesn’t care much about competing in the heat. Midway through the first set, with Norrie taking the lead, Djokovic sat in his chair and covered his head with a scarf as the packed Center crowd cheered loudly for a countryman whose home was right across the street.
Norrie, who lives so close to the All England Club that he cycled to the field earlier in the tournament, hit an ace to win the set, punching and basking in the sound. In addition to the crowds inside the stadium, there were thousands of others picnicking and drinking beer and Pimm’s on Henman’s Hill as they watched the game on the big screen.
But Djokovic is adept at taking down the best opponents – and the coldness of the crowd – and taking the time to let loopholes appear. He did it when he lost a set in the fourth round to the unknown young Dutchman, Tim van Rijthoven, and in the quarterfinals when he dropped the first two sets to Jannik Sinner of Italy, one of the young players. best in the world.
Djokovic donned a baseball cap to protect himself from the heat of the sun, and mid-round he stopped to give Norrie free points. Suddenly, Norrie found herself having to fight off stops every time she served. In the eighth game of the set, Norrie hit a long forehand that gave Djokovic a 5-3 lead. Djokovic turned towards his box and clenched his fist, as if to say, “Don’t worry, I have this.”
There was never any doubt. Djokovic sped past the third set as Norrie’s game slipped, and he broke early in the fourth round. Norrie fought to keep it close, but in the end that was all he could do. A small win but not what he wanted.
On the final point, Djokovic, who has played 68 Grand Slam tournaments and reached the final 32 times, crushed a serve in the middle of the court, then turned to bait a screaming fan to try to break. his final blow. Then he said with a smile that he was kissing someone who had supported him.
He now faces Kyrgios, a player he says he and others have long considered the world’s most dangerous if he can control his emotions and commit to the sport. sports that he has, at least for now.
Djokovic said of Kyrgios: “For a player of his quality,” this is where he needs to be and he deserves to be. ”