Kyrgios: ‘I Was Right There’ With Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios believes he has the game to challenge for the biggest titles in the future as he looks to take confidence from his run to his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon.

The Australian won the first set against Novak Djokovic Sunday, before the Serbian turned the tables to clinch his seventh crown at The Championships on Centre Court.

“My level is right there. I feel like you look at what Novak has done to some other opponents, it's not a good feeling. But I'm right there,” Kyrgios said in his post-match press conference. “I'm not behind the eight ball at all. I played a Slam final against one of the greatest of all time, and I was right there.

“[I will take] confidence. It was a hell of an occasion… I came out in the first set and I looked like I was the one who had played in a lot of finals. I thought I dealt with the pressure pretty well.”

The Australian, who felt he ‘belonged’ on the biggest stage during his defeat against the Serbian, leaves London holding a 12-3 record on grass in 2022.

Kyrgios, who won the Australian Open men’s doubles title with Thanasi Kokkinakis in January, believes his performances on the lawns in London have further signified the belief that he is moving in the right direction.

“[I] feel like my fire's been lit this whole year. I've obviously met a lot of amazing people this year who have just given me extra motivation,” Kyrgios said. “To find people that have my back, that I just love being around, and they just want to push me to be a better person and to be a better tennis player. They realise that I'm immensely talented and feel [I have] a lot more to do in this sport.”

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The 27-year-old had taken a 2-0 ATP Head2Head series lead into his match against Djokovic, having not dropped a set across their previous meetings.

However, Sunday’s encounter was their first at a major, a stage Djokovic has tasted so much success at. The top seed was competing in a record 32nd Grand Slam final, while Kyrgios was making his maiden major championship match appearance.

The World No. 40 feels that Djokovic’s experience showed in the key moments, with the Serbian capturing his 21st Grand Slam title.

“I felt like he just has so much experience to draw to. He's won the tournament four times in a row. When you win an event that much, when you've been in those situations, it's unbelievable,” Kyrgios said. “You can tell yourself you've been here before. The confidence and the belief in yourself, that only comes with achievement or something that he's achieved like that many times. I can only imagine how confident he feels every day, especially at Wimbledon, walking around.”

After taking the first set, Kyrgios was unable to push on and clinch his first major title. However, the Australian was happy with the level he showed.

“I thought I handled myself well today. I came out there and I did what I had to do tactically to give myself a chance. I served amazing I thought today, and he was just able to put so many balls in play,” Kyrgios said. “I just came up short, and I'm happy with that.”