Novak Djokovic Sinks Kyrgios To Win Seventh Wimbledon Title As Protester Claims Assault - UBITENNIS
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Novak Djokovic Sinks Kyrgios To Win Seventh Wimbledon Title As Protester Claims Assault

The Serbian battled his way to a 21st major title that moves him one away from drawing level with Rafael Nadal’s record.

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Once again Novak Djokovic was forced to come from behind as he edged his way past nemesis Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(3), to win the Wimbledon title for a fourth consecutive time.

 

The world No.1 headed into the final after playing two previous matches where he dropped the opening set. History would repeat itself on Center Court with the world No.1 initially being caught off guard by the highly animated Kyrgios before securing the win with 46 winners against 17 unforced errors as he won 75% of his service points. Djokovic is the second-oldest man in the Open Era to win Wimbledon after Roger Federer. The only man to have won the major event more times than him.

“I am lost for words for what this trophy means. It has always been and always will be the most special tournament,” said Djokovic. “Realising a childhood dream of winning this trophy. Every year it gets more meaningful, I am really blessed. The most special court in the world. I am extremely happy and grateful to be here.”

Although there was another story forming behind the scenes with a Peng Shuai protester claiming he was assaulted after trying to disrupt the match during the third set. He was seen being pulled to the ground before getting removed from the court.

Coming into the showdown there was an extensive gap in experience between the two. Djokovic was playing in the final of a major for the 32nd time in his career which is a record for the men’s Tour. In contrast, Kyrgios was contesting his first at the age of 27. However, it was the Australian who drew blood first during the opener at the expense of a tentative Djokovic service game that concluded with a double fault. After that breakthrough, Kyrgios dropped only three points behind his serve for the rest of the set as he soared to 6-3.

Coming from behind has been a common thing for Djokovic who had to do so in his two previous matches against Jannik Sinner and Cameron Norrie. In the second frame, it was Kyrgios’ turn to have a lackluster service game as the Serbian broke for a 2-1 lead with the help of a lucky net cord on break point. That was the first time Djokovic had ever broken to him on the Tour after suffering two straight losses in 2017. Fighting to draw level, he valiantly saved four break points whilst ahead 5-3 before prevailing with the help of a 119mph serve down the middle of the court.

There was a very brief halt to play early on in the third when a member of the crowd, believed to be a Peng Shuai protester, was shouting out before being ejected from the court. Shuai is a former Chinese player who is feared to be under censorship in her homeland after accusing a former government official of sexual assault. Drew Pavlov, who describes himself as a ‘human rights activist’ on Twitter, claims security ‘went nuts’ and assaulted him.

As for drama on the court, Kyrgios received a code violation for swearing after expressing his frustration with not receiving a first serve despite being interrupted by a member of the crowd. Nevertheless, he still managed to hold.

The mood of the Australian deteriorated further in the third when locked at 4-4 he lost five straight points which gave Djokovic a chance to serve for a two-set lead. Prompting a livid Kyrgios to scream in the direction of his camp in the stands. Meanwhile, a much calmer Djokovic seized the moment with relative ease to move ahead for the first time.

Locked in a battle, there was little to distinguish between the two throughout the fourth set. In the end, it would be a somewhat disappointing tiebreaker that sealed Djokovic’s win. A series of consecutive Kyrgios unforced errors moved him to a 6-1 lead before he triumphed on his third championship point with his rival hitting a shot into the net.

“He’s a bit of a god, I thought I had played well,” said Kyrgios. “I want to congratulate Novak, I don’t how now many times he won it.”

After having a somewhat rocky relationship over the years, Kyrgios recently said the two are starting to form a bromance with each other by messaging one another on Instagram. Something Djokovic agrees with.

“Nick, you’ll be back. Not just in Wimbledon but in many finals. You showed why you are one of the best players in the world. Congrats to you and your team,” said Djokovic.
“I wish you all the best, man. I really think you are an amazing talent. I never thought I’m going to say so many nice things about you, considering the relationship! OK, it’s officially a bromance! Hopefully, this is the start of a wonderful friendship. Let’s start with dinner and drinks and we will see.”

Six out of the seven Wimbledon titles Djokovic has won have occurred during a season where he has played no grass-court events leading up to the Grand Slam.

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Alexander Zverev Deserves More Respect According To Boris Becker

According to Boris Becker, Alexander Zverev deserves more respect from tennis journalists.

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Alexander Zverev (@WeAreTennis - Twitter)

Boris Becker has claimed that Alexander Zverev deserves more respect despite Zverev failing to live up to his potential at Grand Slams.

 

Zverev has only reached one Grand Slam final in his career despite being a regular inside the world’s top ten as well as performing at regular ATP events.

This season Zverev played a limited schedule after recovering from an ankle injury but still managed to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.

However most critics have been loud when judging Zverev’s career as it was looking likely that he would be a regular Grand Slam champion.

The German has failed to live up to expectations but former Grand Slam champion Boris Becker believes Zverev deserves more respect.

Speaking to Eurosport Becker also said that Zverev’s father being the coach is a more than successful approach when it comes to the former US Open finalist’s career, “In my opinion, he doesn’t get enough respect from the tennis experts internationally,” Becker explained.

“They’re all talking about the young three or four, but don’t give Zverev, Medvedev or Rublev enough respect. He’s playing with his fist in his pocket a little bit, wants everyone show that he is not a thing of the past, but that his best time is yet to come.

“Surely his father knows best what is good for his son, but if you look into the box at the competition, you can also see changes.”

Becker has followed Zverev for most of his career so knows that the best is yet to come from the German.

Alexander Zverev will look to prove himself next season when he starts his 2024 season when he represents Germany at the United Cup.

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Juan Carlos Ferrero Analyses Key Areas For Carlos Alcaraz’s Development

Juan Carlos Ferrero has outlined the next steps in Carlos Alcaraz’s development.

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(@tennisnewsbrazil - Twitter)

Carlos Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero has analysed the key areas for the Spaniard’s development heading into the 2024 season.

 

The former world number one’s season has come to an end after a successful year which saw him win the Wimbledon title as well as winning two Masters 1000 titles.

Alcaraz capped off an incredible season by reaching the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic.

However there is a long way for the Spaniard to go if he wants to consistently go toe-to-toe with Novak Djokovic.

Speaking to Marca Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero spoke about the Spaniard’s development and said that Alcaraz is too emotional, “Be more regular in games, not open doors. Sometimes there are mistakes and it is something that we have to improve a lot,” Ferrero commented.

“Although it is true that he opens doors, he always competes well and at the highest level. He knows it, the other day he already said that Novak doesn’t give you one. He has to improve his decision making and he will achieve that with experience. Carlos is very emotional and that sometimes helps him and other times not so much.”

It’s clear Alcaraz’s high-quality is there but to consistently do it against Djokovic is another task altogether as the Spaniard looks to go from strength-to strength next season.

One area that is clearly a priority for Alcaraz is physical conditioning especially considering what happened against Djokovic at Roland Garros earlier in the season.

Ferrero said that will be a clear focus heading into 2024 but couldn’t guarantee that Alcaraz will play a tournament before the Australian Open, “Because of the year and the fatigue he has been in, what he needs is rest and disconnecting for 8-10 days with his friends,” Ferrero stated.

“From there, the thinking must go back to working really hard, strong and well to start very strongly in Australia. One can never be sure of that. Sometimes you play a tournament and it doesn’t go well, you left home too early. There are many ways of thinking.

“This year we haven’t played Australia and he finishes number two. That means there is no urgency to play a tournament early. Carlos is a player who enters competition quickly, you don’t usually see him without rhythm.

“Although it is true that he becomes more dangerous from the round of 16, from the quarter-finals. I am confident that the two exhibition matches and the training sessions will help us play a good tournament.”

Alcaraz will be looking to play the Australian Open which starts on the 15th of January after the Spaniard missed last year’s tournament due to a leg injury.

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Australian Open Chief Confident Nadal Will Play But Kyrgios’ Participation Uncertain

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Nadal RG 2022 by Night (foto @RolandGarros)

The tournament director of the Australian Open says he is ‘certain’ that Rafael Nadal will play at the Grand Slam even though the Spaniard has yet to outline his comeback plans. 

 

Craig Tiley told reporters in Melbourne on Thursday he hopes to receive some clarity over Nadal’s intentions in the next couple of weeks but is confident he will play. However, the tennis official had previously claimed in October that the former world No.1 had already committed to play in the event before his team denied that statement.  

Nadal, who has won 22 Grand Slam titles, hasn’t played a Tour match since his second round defeat at the Australian Open in January due to a hip injury. He was originally expecting to take an eight-week break but the recovery didn’t go to plan and he ended up having surgery. In May he confirmed that he will take an extended break from the sport to heal his body and admitted that retirement next year is a possibility.

“Rafa has been training, I follow him closely, probably every day because he’s a massive drawcard for us,” the Reuters News Agency quoted Tiley as saying. 
“He wants to play, he’s obviously planning on playing. It all depends on how he pulls up.
“Hopefully in the next week or the next two weeks, we get some specific confirmation of that. I’m certain Rafa will be here because he’s not going to want to miss the opportunity to repeat what he did a couple of years ago.”

Earlier this month Nadal confirmed that he intends to return to the Tour but admits that he will continue to experience a degree of pain. Although he has yet to give any information about which tournament he will begin his comeback at. The 2024 season begins during the first week of January.

“I’m well, training, and happy. I’m at a good stage of my life,” atptour.com quoted Nadal as telling reporters in Barcelona.
“Until now I didn’t know if I would play tennis again someday, and now I genuinely believe I will. I’m still not ready to say when, but I’m able to train increasingly longer, and the progress is good.’

Will Kyrgios play?

Another player Tiley is eager to welcome back is home player and former Wimbledon Finalist Nick Kyrgios who has only played one Tour-level match this season due to injury. He underwent knee surgery in January and then tore a ligament in his wrist during the summer. As a result, the Australian currently doesn’t have an ATP ranking due to his inactivity. 

“We have spoken to Nick, and he obviously wants to do the best he possibly can to give him the best chance to play in January,” Tiley said of Kyrgios.
“Whether he’s playing, whether he’s doing something else, Nick will be here in January and to get him to play will be great. But we’ve got to take it as it comes and he’s got to make sure he takes care of his health …” 

Kyrgios recently worked as an analyst for the Tennis Channel during this year’s ATP Finals in Turin and gave a brief update on his ongoing recovery during a segment. 

“After last year, I had such a great year, and I’m so hungry to get back out there,” the 2022 Wimbledon finalist commented.
“So I’m doing everything I can to get back out there. Obviously, you know how injuries are every day, just doing the rehab, doing the gym work.”

The Australian Open will begin on Sunday 14th January. Novak Djokovic and Aryna Sabalenka are the defending champions. 

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