"I looked like I was the one who had played in a lot of finals" - Kyrgios on handling final pressure well
ATP
Nick Kyrgios played a very good final match against Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships but eventually lost in four sets.
Stepping onto the court, it was the 32nd Grand Slam final for Djokovic and only the first one for Kyrgios. It was expected that experience would play a big role, and eventually, it did.
Still, it was the 27-year-old Australian who won the first set. After the match, Kyrgios was happy that he handled his first Wimbledon final well, even though he eventually lost it in four sets.
"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. 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."
Despite losing in the final of the tournament, Kyrgios looked at the positives. He won his first doubles Grand Slam title this year, and now, he played in the final of a singles tournament at a major.
"[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. 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."
Kyrgios thinks that Djokovic was able to win the final also thanks to his experience from the previous finals at Wimbledon. It was the fourth consecutive title in London for the Serbian, while only the first major final for the Australian.
"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. 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."
