Last Sunday at Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic won the men’s singles event against Australian Nick Kyrgios. Djokovic now holds 21 Grand Slam singles titles and has a 4-year winning streak at Wimbledon.
With a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), Djokovic obtained his seventh win at Wimbledon. His collection of Wimbledon titles now sits dead even with those of Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, but he still falls one short from Roger Federer. Despite his high ranking in men singles worldwide, Djokovic will likely miss the highly anticipated US Open in late August.
The United States denies entrance to noncitizen, nonresident internationals without a COVID vaccine. Yet, Djokovic stubbornly refuses to get vaccinated because he strongly believes in an individual’s right to choose for themself. “The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can,” he said. He will not be allowed past border control, so Wimbledon might have been Djokovic’s last big event this year.
His win was not easy. Kyrgios’ powerful serves have demolished opponents in the past, but Djokovic is famous for returning even the most difficult serves. His concentration and calm composure were the key to his victory.
In contrast, Kyrgios threw his usual fit. Despite his immense talent, Kyrgios is famous for starting arguments at tennis matches. On Sunday, he shouted at the chair umpire when a fan cheered right before his serve, disrupting his concentration. He complained about a talkative woman who had drank “700 drinks.” After Kyrgios cursed at a box full of his supporters, he lifted his middle finger in their direction.
The most exciting part of the match was the tiebreaker. If Djokovic won the set, then he would claim the Wimbledon title. But if Kyrgios won, the game would continue into a fifth set. The crowd gasped at each shot as the two opponents duked it out. When Kyrgios’ final shot got caught in the net, Djokovic raised his arms victoriously and sighed a breath of relief.
Djokovic and Kyrgios have played together before. In 2017, Djokovic lost two matches to Kyrgios, but the games were both in best-of-3 sets and were on hardcourts. Their third game against each other could not be more different: Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Both opponents have grown exponentially in the last 5 years and deserve a break from the spotlight.
“I definitely need a well-earned vacation after this one,” Kyrgios said. “I’m just really happy with this result, it’s probably the best of my career. Maybe one day I’ll be here again, but I don’t know about that.”
As for Djokovic, he will probably skip the US Open due to the vaccine requirement and continue to refine his skills. “If I have permission, I’ll be there. If I don’t, I won’t be there – it’s not the end of the world,” he says.
With a score of 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (7-3), Djokovic obtained his seventh win at Wimbledon. His collection of Wimbledon titles now sits dead even with those of Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, but he still falls one short from Roger Federer. Despite his high ranking in men singles worldwide, Djokovic will likely miss the highly anticipated US Open in late August.
The United States denies entrance to noncitizen, nonresident internationals without a COVID vaccine. Yet, Djokovic stubbornly refuses to get vaccinated because he strongly believes in an individual’s right to choose for themself. “The principles of decision making on my body are more important than any title or anything else. I’m trying to be in tune with my body as much as I possibly can,” he said. He will not be allowed past border control, so Wimbledon might have been Djokovic’s last big event this year.
His win was not easy. Kyrgios’ powerful serves have demolished opponents in the past, but Djokovic is famous for returning even the most difficult serves. His concentration and calm composure were the key to his victory.
In contrast, Kyrgios threw his usual fit. Despite his immense talent, Kyrgios is famous for starting arguments at tennis matches. On Sunday, he shouted at the chair umpire when a fan cheered right before his serve, disrupting his concentration. He complained about a talkative woman who had drank “700 drinks.” After Kyrgios cursed at a box full of his supporters, he lifted his middle finger in their direction.
The most exciting part of the match was the tiebreaker. If Djokovic won the set, then he would claim the Wimbledon title. But if Kyrgios won, the game would continue into a fifth set. The crowd gasped at each shot as the two opponents duked it out. When Kyrgios’ final shot got caught in the net, Djokovic raised his arms victoriously and sighed a breath of relief.
Djokovic and Kyrgios have played together before. In 2017, Djokovic lost two matches to Kyrgios, but the games were both in best-of-3 sets and were on hardcourts. Their third game against each other could not be more different: Wimbledon’s Centre Court. Both opponents have grown exponentially in the last 5 years and deserve a break from the spotlight.
“I definitely need a well-earned vacation after this one,” Kyrgios said. “I’m just really happy with this result, it’s probably the best of my career. Maybe one day I’ll be here again, but I don’t know about that.”
As for Djokovic, he will probably skip the US Open due to the vaccine requirement and continue to refine his skills. “If I have permission, I’ll be there. If I don’t, I won’t be there – it’s not the end of the world,” he says.