Novak Djokovic seen training at the Puente Romano Club in Marbella on Monday. (Image Credits: Instagram)
Novak Djokovic is only one step away from winning Wimbledon for the fourth time in a row. The Serbian will have to deal with a determined Nick Kyrgios in the final.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion overcame a minor hiccup in the first round against Kwon Soon-woo. The South Korean lost the first set but came back strongly to win the second one convincingly. However, the Serbian brought out his A-game to finish the match in four sets.
In the second round, the veteran thumped Thanasi Kokkinakis in straight sets and progressed to round three. Miomir Kecmanovic had the chance to stop his idol’s winning run at SW19. However, his hopes took a beatdown at the hands of the legendary player who schooled him en route to a three-set victory. Tim van Rijthoven tried to oust the six-time Grand Slam winner. However, the Dutchman only managed to win one set as Djokovic was at his dominant best in the other three.
Jannik Sinner gave a real scare to Novak Djokovic and his fans in the quarter-final. The 20-year-old managed to win the first two sets. However, Djokovic handled pressure exceedingly well to come back from the precarious position and record a stunning victory.
Cameron Norrie had a dream run to the semi-final but in order to progress further, he had to beat the experienced campaigner. Norrie played well to win the first set but Djokovic won the next three sets with ease to reach his 32nd Grand Slam final.
Djokovic has the chance to become only the third man to win seven or more Wimbledon titles. He will join Roger Federer (8) and Pete Sampras (7).
Nick Kyrgios has been involved in a few controversies on the court and off it too. However, the Australian has not let it affect his game adversely as yet. The 27-year-old won his first-round match against Paul Jubb in a five-set thriller. Kyrgios won his next match against Filip Krajinovic with relative ease. The third-round clash against Stefanos Tsitsipas was a heated affair. Both players got involved in arguments and the Australian also had some harsh words to say to the officials. Kyrgios did not let it become a hindrance to his performance as he won the match 6-7 (2-7), 6-4,6-3, 7-6 (9-7).
The Round of 16 encounter with Brandon Nakashima was a riveting affair. The five-set thriller saw Kyrgios progress to the quarter-final with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2), 3-6, 6-2 victory. He played his quarter-final match against Cristian Garin. Kyrgios produced a scintillating performance to win the match 6-4, 6-3, 7-6 (7-5). By virtue of this win, Kyrgios progressed to his first semi-final at a Grand Slam. He was set to face Rafael Nadal in the semi-final but the Spaniard had to pull out of the tournament due to an abdominal injury. Kyrgios would be hoping to win his first Grand Slam at a singles event at the end of tomorrow’s final.
A win for Kyrgios will make him the first Australian men’s singles Grand Slam winner after Lleyton Hewitt won the Wimbledon back in 2002.
Nick Kyrgios has the upperhand over Novak Djokovic as far as head-to-head score is concerned. The Serbian star has never beaten the player from down under.
In the two encounters between the two experienced campaigners, Kyrgios has won both of them in straight sets. Their first meeting was at the quarter-final stage of the Mexican Open in 2017. Kyrgios won the match 7-6 (9-7), 7-5.
The last time the two players locked horns was in the fourth round of the Indian Wells Masters. Kyrgios came out victorious with the scoreline 6-4, 7-6 (7-3).
Nick Kyrgios will surely bring the fight to Novak Djokovic. However, the Serbian will look to weather the storm and play the match at his pace. Djokovic may have won 20 Grand Slam finals but the pressure will still be there. Australians are known to have strong nerves. If Kyrgios manages to hold his nerves in crunch moments and capitalise on the little opportunities which he might get, we might see a huge upset taking place.
However, we will go with Novak Djokovic as the favorite to lift the title and we might see him finish the match in four sets.
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