Novak Djokovic beats Nick Kyrgios to win fourth consecutive, seventh overall Wimbledon title

Novak Djokovic vs Nick Kyrgios | Gentlemen's Singles Final Highlights | Wimbledon 2022

Novak Djokovic claimed his fourth consecutive and seventh overall Wimbledon title on Sunday by defeating Nick Kyrgios on Centre Court in the final of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships.

The Serb became the fourth man in the Open Era to claim four consecutive Wimbledon titles, joining the ranks of Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, and Bjorn Borg.

The top seed recorded a win of 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) to secure his 21st Grand Slam title, moving him ahead of Roger Federer and one behind Rafael Nadal on the all-time list.

By claiming seven of the last 11 titles at the All England Club, Djokovic has now equalled Pete Sampras and William Renshaw's tally. He is now one win away from matching Roger Federer's men's singles record of eight wins.

Djokovic talks about friendship with Kyrgios

Djokovic shared what he said to Kyrgios through an Instagram message after the win.

"Nick, you'll be back, not just at Wimbledon but in the finals. I know that it's tough to find consolation words after a tough loss like this, you showed why you deserve to be one of the best players in the world, particularly on this surface," said Djokovic.

Djokovic then continued to praise Kyrgios, saying that he respected him. He described his relationship with the Australian as "a bromance".

"I really respect you a lot, I think that you are a phenomenal tennis player, athlete and an amazing talent. You've been hearing that for many years, but now everything is starting to come together for you," he continued.

"I'm sure we're going to see lots of you in later stages of Grand Slams. I never thought I'd say so many nice things about you, considering the relationship. OK, it's officially a bromance."

Kyrgios addresses Wimbledon final experience

Similarly, Kyrgios praised the former world No.1, who defeated him in a match of four sets.

“I’m not going to lie. I thought I played well,” Kyrgios, who fired 30 aces in the three-hour encounter, said.

Netflix documented Kyrgios' journey to the final. Speaking to the camera, he earlier said that he “never thought” he would be in the final facing Djokovic. After the match, he said he was a little disappointed that he failed to become a “tennis immortal” by defeating Djokovic.

“At times I was getting angry because I looked at it as you win this tournament and you become a tennis immortal,” he said in his post-match press conference. “It was an opportunity that people work their entire life for.”

He, however, said the loss helped him keep his motivation to win a Wimbledon title intact.

“I feel like if I would have won today I would have struggled with motivation,” he said. “I feel like I’ve been told my entire life winning Wimbledon is the ultimate achievement. It has almost taken me 10 years to finally get to the point where I’m playing for a Grand Slam.

“So, I feel like if I had won I would have lacked a little bit of motivation, to be honest. I kind of [would have] achieved the greatest pinnacle of what you can achieve in tennis.”