Wimbledon: Novak Djokovic – many disadvantages in the final against Nicky Krgios? Appearances are deceptive

In the run-up to the final, Novak Djokovic never tired of pointing out the qualities of his opponent.

Nick Kyrgios is a “big match player”, emphasized the defending champion. “If you look at his career, he has always shown his best tennis against the top players.”

In the direct comparisons with Daniil Medvedev (2: 1), Alexander Zverev (4: 3), Djokovic (2: 0) and Stefanos Tsitsipas (4: 1), the 27-year-old leads – only against Rafael Nadal (3: 6) the balance is negative.

Djokovic has to accept unusual residues

Chasing Nadal – time is running out

Above all this is the growing fear that maybe he won’t end his career as a record Grand Slam champion.

Djokovic has set himself this goal, but with 20 titles he is currently two successes behind Nadal. The Wimbledon title is therefore mandatory, especially since the Serb will probably not be allowed to compete at the US Open due to his refraining from vaccination against the corona virus.

It’s quite a heavily packed backpack that Djokovic is carrying into the final – and yet it would be surprising if he didn’t defend his title.

Schett exclusive: Djokovic has to find an answer to that

The two defeats against Kyrgios in 2017 were “a long time ago,” says the former seventh in the world rankings Barbara Schett in the Eurosport interview to consider. “Novak has so much experience, it’s already his 32nd Grand Slam final. It was not without reason that he was number one and so successful here on the Wimbledon lawn,” said the Austrian.

The decisive factor is how Djokovic serves. “Nick is able to score a lot of free points with his serve. That puts pressure on Novak to confirm his service,” Schett believes. So the favorite has to find a way to get a foot in the door on the return while still being stable himself.

The difficult games against Sinner and Norrie in particular showed that Djokovic has the means to emerge victorious against almost every opponent, even on weaker days. The 35-year-old had no chance against Sinner for two sets.

Djokovic relies on the “Pep Talk” in case of problems

These “positive words and affirmations” are a great help when he feels “negative and depressed”. If the final goes the full distance of five sets, it is almost inevitable that such moments will come – and it is very questionable whether Kyrgios also has such clever strategies to pull himself out of there again.