His non-fighting final entry into Wimbledon after Rafael Nadal’s injury-related absence caused a difficult night for the controversial Australian tennis professional Nick Kyrgios.
“I had a shocking sleep, to be honest,” said the 27-year-old ahead of his first Grand Slam final. He only slept for an hour. “I was so scared, I was already feeling so nervous and I’m not usually nervous.” He imagined all the time what it would be like if he won or lost.
The Spaniard Nadal had withdrawn for the semi-final against Kyrgios on Thursday night after tearing an abdominal muscle. Kyrgios will meet the winner of the game between defending champion Novak Djokovic from Serbia and Britain’s Cameron Norrie in the Wimbledon final on Sunday.
Kyrgios does not see the longer break as an advantage. “People immediately say: He has another day off. But it’s definitely a shock to the system because I’ve played so many matches.”
Kyrgios said he was connected to Djokovic by a kind of “bromance”, a friendly relationship between men. “I think everyone knows there was no love between us for a while. It was healthy for the sport. Every time we played each other there was hype,” recalled the feisty Aussie.
Kyrgios initially criticized Djokovic for his behavior during the corona pandemic. However, when the unvaccinated Serb was denied entry to Australia, he received support from Kyrgios. “I was almost the only player and someone had to stand up for him about the drama at the Australian Open,” said the Australian. “That’s where respect is earned. Not on the tennis court, but when there’s a real life crisis and someone stands up for you.”