Midway through the second set, Djokovic found his feet, extending the rallies to wear Kyrgios out and eventually taking the set despite his relatively slow start. In the third set, Kyrgios’s mood grew ever more stormy after noise from the crowd between his serves led him to complain to the umpire in typically colorful terms: Asked who was creating the distraction, he replied, “the one that looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro,” drawing laughs from commentators. As is so often the case with Kyrgios, he was unable to shake this hot-headedness, even appearing to berate those in his box at one point.
Kyrgios plays a backhand. Photo: Getty Images
As Djokovic took the lead, though, Kyrgios showed no sign of nerves, continuing to fight through the fourth set. And despite Kyrgios’s extraordinary serves—throughout the match, he landed a wildly impressive 30 aces—the Australian lost after hitting a backhand into the net, winning Djokovic the championship point to cheers from the crowd, which included the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as well as an array of Hollywood stars such as Tom Cruise, Kate Winslet, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Hiddleston.
“I have lost words for what this tournament, what this trophy means to me, to my team and family. It always has been and will be the most special tournament in my heart, the one that motivated me, inspired me to start playing tennis in a small little mountain resort in Serbia where my parents used to run a restaurant,” said Djokovic after receiving the Wimbledon trophy from the Duchess of Cambridge. “I always dreamed of coming here, playing in this court, and of course realizing the childhood dream of winning this trophy. Every single time, it gets more and more meaningful and special. I am very blessed and very thankful to be standing here with the trophy.”
