Nick Kyrgios Reflects on the Experience Playing the Wimbledon Final Against ‘The Greatest of All Time’ Novak Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios reached his maiden and only Grand Slam final at the 2022 Wimbledon championships.

Nick Kyrgios Reflects on the Experience Playing the Wimbledon Final Against ‘The Greatest of All Time’ Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios (via X)

Australian tennis star Nick Kyrgios has not played at Wimbledon since his loss at the 2022 final to Novak Djokovic. Kyrgios had hoped to play doubles at the Roland Garros with compatriot Jordan Thompson but withdrew from what would have been his first appearance at the tournament since 2017 with a knee injury.

Injuries continue to plague Kyrgios, prompting him to withdraw and miss his favorite part of the season once again. He just played in three tournaments this year- the Australian Open, Indian Wells, and the Miami Open, managing only one victory in four matches and retiring in one of them. Just a week before Wimbledon 2025 commences, the former World No. 13 spoke in an interview with The Guardian about his experiences at the Wimbledon final:

It’s something I’ll be able to share with my children and grandchildren and show them that anything is possible. The courts around my house are usually cracked cement, so the fact that I made it to the final of a Grand Slam is crazy. It was just a few points here and there where, if I had acted a little different, I could have won the Wimbledon title, but it’s no shame to lose to the greatest of all time. Do I think about it often? Yes. Do I think about what could have changed? Yes. Could I have prepared better? No. I prepared incredibly.

Kyrgios had reached his maiden and only Grand Slam final at the 2022 Wimbledon championships. It also marked his first grass court final. He was the first unseeded man to reach a Grand Slam final since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2008 Australian Open and the first Australian man to reach a Grand Slam final since Lleyton Hewitt at the 2005 Australian Open. Although Kyrgios won the first set against Djokovic, the Serb fought back to seal the victory in four sets, clinching his 21st Grand Slam title.

Nick Kyrgios speaks about why Wimbledon is special to him

Nick Kyrgios made his debut at Wimbledon in 2014, reaching the quarterfinals. Since then, he has reached the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and US Open too. At 71%, Kyrgios has his best match win percentage of a Grand Slam at Wimbledon. However, despite his good run at Wimbledon, Kyrgios is yet to win a title on grass. The Aussie further opened up about why Wimbledon is so special to him, also making an interesting snowman analogy:

Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios
Novak Djokovic, Nick Kyrgios during 2022 Wimbledon (Image via Imago)

Wimbledon is a special memory for me. It’s the first Grand Slam where I made a breakthrough and it’s the pinnacle of tennis. Every time you enter the grounds, you feel the energy and the aura, but I also don’t always feel so comfortable there because I don’t act like the normal tennis player. Wimbledon pays a lot of attention to that. I feel like a snowman in the desert, but I enjoy it…

Now 30, and ranked 633rd Kyrgios faces an uphill battle to resurrect his career, which has been marred by injuries since late 2022. His Wimbledon withdrawal means his opening round exit at this year’s Australian Open will remain his sole Grand Slam appearance – of a possible 11 – since the start of 2023.

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