Wimbledon's Novak Djokovic-Nick Kyrgios Final Is Set & Many Fans Wish They Both Could Lose
"I don't know who I want to lose more."
Novak Djokovic. Right: Nick Kyrgios.
Nick Kyrgios will face Novak Djokovic in the men's Wimbledon final on Sunday, and whoever wins, we lose.
That might sound like the tagline for a bad movie — and it is — but it was also the sentiment on social media after Djokovic won a spot in the final on Friday to set up his showdown with Kyrgios.
“Crowd boos Djokovic and boos the mention of Kyrgios,” the Tennis Updates account tweeted after Djokovic's win. “This is about to be the worst atmosphere in a Final ever.”
\u201cNovak Djokovic on facing fellow firebrand Nick Kyrgios in the men's Wimbledon final on Sunday:\n\n"Well, one thing is for sure: There's going to be a lot of fireworks emotionally from both."\u201d— The Recount (@The Recount) 1657301788
The two men are among some of the most talented and problematic athletes in the sport right now.
Kyrgios in particular has become toxic, after an Australian court issued a summons earlier this week for him to face assault charges. Kyrgios is accused of assaulting a former girlfriend in Canberra late last year, according to a statement police made to Reuters and others.
"It's in the context of a domestic relationship," Kyrgios' attorney, Jason Moffett, said in a statement to the Canberra Times.
"Given the matter is before the court ... he doesn't have a comment at this stage, but in the fullness of time we'll issue a media release."
Kyrgios has also been criticized in the past for his antics on the court.
Djokovic doesn't have nearly the same legal problems with his public image. However, he did earn himself plenty of detractors last January, when he challenged Australia's mandatory vaccine rules for travellers. The government detained Djokovic for failing to provide proof of vaccination before playing in the Australian Open, and he was ultimately deported after a days-long public fiasco.
Even setting the vaccine incident aside, Djokovic has long been see as a "bad guy" in the sport, as former star John McEnroe once put it.
All that means there'll be a weird energy around the match when Kyrgios and Djokovic go head-to-head on Sunday, and their critics are already ripping them both ahead of the event.
\u201cAll I'm saying is, the relevant tennis authorities need to devise a method by Sunday that guarantees both Djokovic *and* Kyrgios lose the final.\u201d— Michael Glasper (@Michael Glasper) 1657299249
“Is there definitely no way both Djokovic and Kyrgios can lose?" one critic wrote on Twitter.
\u201cDjokovic vs Kyrgios. I don't know who I want to lose more #Wimbledon\u201d— Bennett Arron \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f (@Bennett Arron \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc77\udb40\udc6c\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc7f) 1657299594
“The only good thing about Djokovic v Kyrgios is that an intolerable f*ckspanner is going to lose,” added another.
Djokovic, 40, will try to win his seventh career Wimbledon title and his fourth straight on Sunday, while Kyrgios will get his shot at breaking that streak and winning his first men's singles title at the tournament.
The two stars used to be fierce critics of each other, but Kyrgios said this week that their relationship has morphed into a "bromance."
"I felt like I was almost the only player and someone to stand up for him with all that drama at the Australian Open," he told reporters this week, per Yahoo. "We actually message each other on DMs in Instagram now and stuff. It’s real weird."
Djokovic later said he appreciated Kyrgios' support.
"I don’t know if I can call it a bromance, yet, but we definitely have a better relationship than what it was probably prior to January this year," he said, per Yahoo. "I respect him for that a lot."
At least they'll have each other on Sunday.