Venue: All England Club Date: 10 July Time: 14:00 BSTC Coverage: Live on BBC One from 13:00 BST, with coverage on radio, online, BBC iPlayer, Red Button, connected TVs and mobile app.
What could happen when two of the most polarizing players in tennis meet on the biggest stage in their sport? “Fireworks” – according to Novak Djokovic.
Djokovic faces Australian Nick Kyrgios in the Wimbledon men’s singles final on Sunday – one a 20-time Grand Slam champion and the other a debutant in a major singles final.
Both combustible on a tennis court.
From smashing rackets to arguing with the referees and having heated conversations with the crowd, these two players have a catalog of fiery episodes behind them that make this match fascinating.
Of course, in front of royalty and with a prestigious trophy at stake, they might be on their best behavior, but with Djokovic himself expecting an explosive final, let’s see why that might be.
Cracks and smashing rockets
Both players have had many run-ins with the umpires over the years. If they’re not happy with something, they often don’t hold back.
At the 2020 Australian Open final, Djokovic tapped umpire Damien Dumusois on the leg, angrily telling him “You became famous in this match. Great job,” when he was unhappy with the time violations. The Serbian later apologized for his outburst.
Seven months later, Djokovic was ejected from the US Open after accidentally hitting a ball at a linesman in his fourth-round match – he had hit the ball out of frustration at losing his serve and hit it behind him in anger.
The 35-year-old has also made his feelings known about his gear, including spectacularly knocking over a racket in Monte Carlo in 2019 – and throwing another into the crowd in the same match – and also defacing another in his 2021 Australian Open quarter-final against Alexander Zverev.
A ball girl was left sweeping the pieces off the court afterwards in Melbourne, and although he admitted it wasn’t the best way to channel his emotions, Djokovic added: “When I broke that racquet, things started to change for me in positive direction.”
Kyrgios has also obliterated rockets, only last month leaving a pile of metal and strings on the side of his seat during a substitution in a win over Stephanos Tsitsipas in Halle.
Not all go to waste — he handed a barely recognizable racket to a young fan in Washington in 2019 as a souvenir.
The 27-year-old has also had numerous breaches of the swearing-in code and is estimated to have paid around A$800,000 (£455,000) in fines during his career.
A “love-hate relationship” with the crowd
After his semi-final victory over Britain’s Cameron Norrie on Friday, Djokovic was booed by some sections of Center Court when he blew a kiss to a fan who was bothering him.
There were even louder boos when he mentioned his next opponent, Kyrgios.
It will be interesting to see who gets more support from the nearly 15,000 people in the stands on Sunday.
Despite his immense success and supreme talent, Djokovic has often found himself unable to warm the hearts of those who watch him.
When he faced Roger Federer in the 2019 Wimbledon final, an epic encounter was marred by booing of the Serb.
His misses were cheered and jeered at in a partisan atmosphere more common in football stadiums than on Center Court.
Djokovic saved match points to win a classic final, with pundits urging fans to show more respect for a great player.
He often presses his ear to the crowd to encourage cheers for him when they don’t come.
His unwillingness to have a Covid-19 vaccine did not sit well with some – chants of “Novax” could be heard during Norrie’s match – and his deportation from Australia earlier this year over his vaccination status also divided opinion.
But it seems clear that Djokovic just wants to be liked – he was moved to tears in last year’s US Open final by the backlash at Arthur Ashe Stadium as he unsuccessfully tried to get back at Daniil Medvedev.
Meanwhile, Kyrgios also has a complicated relationship with those watching him.
He admitted spitting in the direction of a fan during his first-round match at Wimbledon – and was fined $10,000 (£8,300) for his behavior in that match.
But he also engaged warmly with fans, asking an audience member where he should serve on a match point during last year’s Wimbledon.
He also remains fascinating – there was hardly a seat to spare in his matches at Wimbledon over the past two weeks, and his tricks make for popular videos.
“It’s a love-hate relationship with Nick,” Australian doubles great Todd Woodbridge told BBC Sport. “People don’t approve of the way he behaves, the way he talks and the way he respects people, but they look at him. For that reason, we’re going to see huge ratings for TV in Australia.”
The Wimbledon final comes at the end of the week when Kyrgios learned he will appear in court in Australia next month on a simple assault charge.
Tennis in the light
Even if you take emotion out of the equation, the brand of tennis that Kyrgios offers is explosive enough.
Armpit serves and hot dogs mean he mixes the unconventional and the unpredictable with a huge serve that’s extremely hard to break.
The pair have played each other twice – Kyrgios won both meetings in 2017 in straight sets.
“He plays shutout every time he steps on court,” Djokovic said of Kyrgios, with whom he had a rocky relationship in the past before the newfound “bromance.”
“Just a lot of power in his pitching and his game. So I’m sure he will. No doubt he will be aggressive. I expect he will.”
In the past, Kyrgios has spoken of his struggles with motivation – saying training was boring and even being banned for a perceived lack of effort – but that is not the case at the big events.
“He’s a big-match player,” Djokovic said. “If you see his career, the best tennis he’s played is always against the best guys. That’s why we all respect him because we know what he has to offer.
“The experience I have at this level, playing in a final against someone who has never played a Grand Slam final, might be a little bit in my favor. At the same time, knowing who he is and how he handles his tennis and his attitude on the court, he doesn’t seem to come under much pressure.
“One thing is for sure, there will be a lot of emotional fireworks from both of us,” he added.
“It will be an interesting match.
Add Comment