Kyrgios facing the biggest match of his career

The absolute dream final on the hallowed turf of Wimbledon may not have been possible due to the Mallorcan’s withdrawal through injury, but tennis fans can still celebrate a spectacular final at Church Road on Sunday.

It is a duel between two players who are extremely polarising. On one side is Novak Djokovic, on the other Nick Kyrgios. While the “Djoker” is in a GS final for the 32nd time, Kyrgios will play his most important match of his career so far.

In terms of experience, the roles are clearly distributed. This is also the opinion of the bookmakers, who offer betting odds of only 1.25 for a win by Djokovic against Kyrgios, while a premiere victory by the Australian bad boy would even result in four times the bet. Even if Kyrgios admitted his nervousness before Sunday’s match, he has nothing to lose in this match. A fact that makes the risky playing man from Down Under even more dangerous.

Djokovic is hoping for his 21st Grand Slam title and it is probably the only chance he has to win one of the most important tournaments this year. As things stand, the 2022 US Open will take place in August without the Djoker.

Novak Djokovic – Statistics & current form

On 24 June 2018, Novak Djokovic lost a tennis match on grass for the last time. He was beaten by Marin Cilic in the final of the elite Queens Club, and barely three weeks later the Serb claimed the Wimbledon title. A feat he also achieved in 2019 and 2021. On Sunday, the current world number two could not only celebrate his fourth success in a row, it would be his seventh triumph on the hallowed turf and his 21st Grand Slam title overall.

Djokovic lacks the self-belief

Possibly it seems like criticism on a very high level, after all the Serb is in the final again. Nevertheless, the past two weeks have seen a Djokovic who is not necessarily in the best of shape. The 35-year-old is still extremely fit and doesn’t seem to have any signs of age, but the whole year has been marked by the fact that he lacks ease and self-evidence.

Only in rounds two and three did the “Djoker” manage to hold his own and win in three sets. In the quarter-final against Jannik Sinner, he even had to come back from a 0:2 set deficit and also benefited from the dwindling strength of the Italian, who is by no means considered a grass court specialist. The semi-final against local hero Cameron Norrie was an extremely shaky affair.

A disastrous first set went away 2:6, after which the result seemed clear, but this was hugely deceptive. Norrie struggled with the great pressure (the dream of a home win) as the match wore on. Djokovic improved, but was by no means brilliant. In the end, an average performance was enough for him to celebrate his 27th Wimbledon victory en suite. The strong Wimbledon record in honour, but the performances shown do not justify the low odds on the favourite between Djokovic and Kyrgios.

Nick Kyrgios – Statistics & current form

While Novak Djokovic’s appearance in the final is no surprise, Nick Kyrgios is a little different. The now 27-year-old Australian is one of the extended favourites at almost every major event, after all, he has everything it takes to be a threat to every player on the tour. It’s just that he often can’t find the consistency in his game and the right balance between unconditional risk and a little security.

Best Kyrgios ever?

The son of Greek immigrants was already ranked number 13 in the world in January 2017 and yet 2022 is arguably the best Kyrgios ever. The 27-year-old “enfant terrible” has transformed himself after going through a dark period in 2019 and even admitting to suicidal thoughts and self-harm recently. Video games late into the night and drugs rounded out his rough patch. Fortunately, he was able to pass through this valley and is now aware of the joys of life again. His girlfriend Costeen Hazi also plays a big part in this.

This is also making itself felt on the tennis court as he has a 24-7 year-to-date record in 2022. Despite these good numbers, the Wimbledon final will be his first final since winning the tournament in Washington in August 2019, and the road to the final has been emblematic of Kyrgios’ career – with ups and downs. A poor performance against Jubb, gala showings against Krajinovic and Tsitsipas, weak performance against Nakashima, a gala against Garin and that put him in the semi-finals.

Due to Nadal’s abdominal muscle injury, he did not have to play his first GS semi-final at all and reached the final by means of a “walkover”. While Djokovic played nine sets in the quarter- and semi-finals, Kyrgios only had to play three. Physical advantages are definitely to be found in the underdog. Mentally, a GS final will also give Kyrgios some queasy moments, but the value of Djokovic against Kyrgios is clearly to be found in the prediction on the Australian.

Novak Djokovic – Nick Kyrgios Direct comparison / H2H balance

Head to Head: 0:2

The two professionals have only faced each other twice on the ATP Tour so far and the direct comparison shown is actually not a typo. The now 35-year-old Novak Djokovic has lost both previous matches against Australian Nick Kyrgios. The two matches came in 2017, with Kyrgios first winning in the quarter-finals of Acapulco before repeating that triumph two weeks later in the last 16 of the Masters at Indian Wells.

Novak Djokovic – Nick Kyrgios Tip

Meanwhile, Nick Kyrgios describes his relationship with Novak Djokovic as a “bromance”.After hurling poisonous arrows at each other in recent years, Kyrgios jumped to the Serb’s side at the start of the year over the entry issue. There will be no time for friendship on Sunday, however; after all, it’s all about winning the title at the world’s most prestigious tournament. And Kyrgios could achieve something that hardly any expert would have believed him capable of due to his frequent lack of maturity on the court – a title win at a Grand Slam tournament.

The Wimbledon final between Djokovic and Kyrgios attracts four times the stake with this tip. Given the experience and impressive grass court record, a favourite role in favour of the Serb is completely understandable, but to this extent? Djokovic is a good way off his best tennis, has had far more intense days and has yet to win a set against the Australian. Kyrgios, on the other hand, has nothing to lose and with his spectacular play he will also be able to thrill the fans.

All in all, the odds offered are a good deal too high. With a moderate bet of four units, the prediction on the Australian winning the title can be attempted between Djokovic and Kyrgios. More than a 2.75 to a maximum of 3.00 was not necessarily to be expected. Additional interesting options are betting on Kyrgios +1.5 sets (betting odds around 2.40) as well as Kyrgios +4.5 games (2.00 odds).