Novak Djokovic beats Nick Kyrgios to win Wimbledon again

Tennis great Novak Djokovic won the Wimbledon men's singles title for a fourth time in a row on Sunday after maverick Australian Nick Kyrgios imploded, despite starting well.

The 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 triumph was a rare bright spot for Djokovic this season.

The Serbian was thrown out before the Australian Open in January because he was not vaccinated against COVID-19. Controversy over a mysterious medical exemption turned many tennis fans against him.

He looked rusty at the French Open and exited in the quarterfinals. He has also had a few close shaves at this year's Wimbledon, where he has not been cheered on by the crowd as vociferously as usual.

But despite all that, the 35-year-old kept his composure for a seventh Wimbledon singles crown, and his fourth in a row.

Djokovic, who will not be able to play at the US Open in August and September because he is still not vaccinated, has now collected 21 Grand Slam singles titles.

Often controversial career

That means he is now one ahead of Roger Federer and one behind men's record holder, Rafael Nadal, who missed out on a possible final against Djokovic. The Spaniard pulled out ahead of his semifinal with Kyrgios because of an abdominal injury.

Kyrgios may have had some fortune in reaching his first Grand Slam final but his displays on the London grass over the past two weeks have been some of the best of his often controversial career.

The Australian is known for his on-court tantrums, outspoken views and attempts to get around Wimbledon's all-white dress code.

He is also due to appear in court in Australia in August, charged with assaulting an ex-girlfriend last year.

The 27-year-old, ranked 40th in the world, came into the final having beaten Djokovic in their only two meetings. He made a confident start, wearing his cap backwards in a very un-Wimbledon way, and took the first break of serve for 3-2. He sealed the first set with an ace and Djokovic looked to have no answer.

"Where is Peng Shuai?"

But the Serbian broke for 3-1 in the second set and Kyrgios began to lose his cool, shouting at his coach, his family, the umpire and random fans in the stands. Djokovic levelled the scores despite the Australian having several chances.

Kyrgios lost focus again late in the third, hitting the net to hand his rival a break for 5-4 and ultimately the set.

A protester also shouted "where is Peng Shuai?" during a point, much to Kyrgios' irritation, and the protester was removed.

Peng Shuai is a Chinese tennis player who appeared to make allegations of sexual abuse against a Chinese Communist party official last year, then was not seen in public for several weeks afterwards. She later denied ever making the allegations.

Kyrgios, who once labelled Djokovic "a tool" for his actions during the worst of the pandemic, regained his poise slightly in the fourth set as it headed for a tiebreak.

But the champion would not be denied and he is now just one behind Federer's record of eight titles in the Wimbledon men's singles.