Novak Djokovic held off Nick Kyrgios in four gruelling sets to seal his seventh Wimbledon and 21st Grand Slam overall. The Australian threw all his muscle and guile at the Serb- serving 30 aces in the process- but after suffering a shellacking in the first set, the Belgrade boy found his groove to win 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3). It wasn’t easy for the Serbian, but his superior tennis nous won out in front of a packed Centre Court. We look at four factors that settled the final. 

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Djokovic’s sublime returns on serve 

Nick Kyrgios hadn’t come across a player of Djokovic’s calibre till he met the man himself in the final. Novak is perhaps one of the greatest returners of serve, and his quality was on full display against the firebrand Aussie. After a bruising first set, he began to get on top of the Kyrgios serve, finding returns with depth and variations. It clearly troubled Nick, who would’ve preferred shorter points and a more amenable opponent on his serve.  

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Kyrgios’ mental upheavals 

As long as Kyrgios remained focused, he looked unflappable. He was almost noiseless throughout his first set tour-de-force, only getting out some chatter when he got the break over Djokovic. But as the final began to slide from his grasp, his temper would often boil over. Throwing a constant verbal volley toward his box for reasons not clearly defined, he seemed unhinged at times. It reached a crescendo when he let slip a 0-40 advantage on the Serb’s serve deep in the second set. He would cool off somewhat in the fourth but flitted in and out of a vile mood. In comparison, Novak was calmness personified.  

Djokovic forces Kyrgios to engage in long(ish) rallies 

Nobody wants to rally off against Djokovic, but it’s precisely how he powders his opponents. While Kyrgios has electric hands and an uncanny ability to find winners, Djokovic’s consistent ruthless streak spares none. He kept digging out shots from deep in the backcourts, much to the Aussies’ annoyance. 

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Djokovic the dogged

Nothing was more emblematic of the now 21-time Champion than how he seized the crucial break in the third set. Down 40-0 on the Kyrgios serve, he pulled a Djoker on the 27-year-old to first level the game at deuce before sneaking two more points to secure the break. Kyrgios knew what hit him but wasn’t quite sure how to cope with it all the same.