Djokovic vs Kyrgios head-to-head: Who holds the edge?

Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios will fight it out Centre Court on Sunday, 10th June to decide who takes home the 2022 Wimbledon Championship. 

It has been a tumultuous Wimbledon this year, and Kyrgios has been one of the stand-outs of the tournament- capturing the headlines for the right as well as the wrong reasons. While Novak Djokovic featured in just about every tennis expert’s predictions for potential finalists, one would be hard-pressed to find an expert who would have predicted the unseeded Aussie making it all the way to the end, especially after he barely limped over the line in the 1st round against a local wild card entrant in an ill-tempered 5-setter. 

Also read: Novak Djokovic’s road to the Wimbledon 2022 final

But here he is, and here they are! So how exactly have the two finalists fared against each other in the past? 

It would surprise most to know that history is actually firmly on the side of the unseeded Australian rather than 20-time grand slam winner, 6-time Wimbledon champion, and the top seed Novak Djokovic. 

The sample size is small, no doubt- they have faced each other just twice in the past, in 2017, but Kyrgios still boasts a 100% record against the Serbian great. In fact, Kyrgios won both his matches against Djokovic in highly convincing fashion- in straight sets. To top it off, Djokovic has never broken Kyrgios’ serve before! 

Also read: Nick Kyrgios’ road to the Wimbledon 2022 final

Their first face-off was at the quarter-finals in Acapulco, Mexico. Kyrgios won a hard-fought match 7-6 (9), 7-5 where he rammed in 25 aces in comparison to the Serb’s 2. His service made all the difference.

They resumed hostilities a few weeks later in the round-of-16 at Indian Wells, and Kyrgios took the match 6-4, 7-6 (3), winning 86% of his first serve. 

The two matches were played on hard courts, and the final on Sunday will, of course, be their first meeting on grass as well as a first five-set encounter.

Also read: Wimbledon 2022: Djokovic expects ‘a lot of fireworks’ in final vs Kyrgios

There are plenty of reasons for Djokovic fans to be optimistic though- he after all boasts an enviable 6-1 record at Wimbledon finals and is currently in the midst of a 27-match unbeaten run streak at Wimbledon. 

So will the Serbian’s immense experience make the difference for him, or will Kyrgios extend his 100% record against an all-time great on the biggest stage in the world? You can find out on Sunday, 10th July; the game starts at 2 p.m. local time!