Novak Djokovic extended his own dominance and that of the Big Four by claiming his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title, his seventh overall at the All England Club and his 21st career major.
Djokovic, the top-seeded Serb, dispatched 40th-ranked Australian Nick Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) to move within one of Rafael Nadal‘s male record for major singles titles.
Djokovic broke his tie with Roger Federer for second place on that list, plus moved within one of Federer’s record eight Wimbledon men’s singles titles. Djokovic tied childhood idol Pete Sampras at seven.
Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and Andy Murray combined to win every Wimbledon men’s singles title dating to 2003.
Kyrgios was arguably a bigger story than Djokovic over the tournament, getting beyond the quarterfinals of a major for the first time. He received a walkover into the final due to Nadal’s abdominal muscle tear, which ended the Spaniard’s pursuit of the third leg of the calendar Grand Slam.
The tournament lacked major stars: top-ranked Daniil Medvedev couldn’t play due to Wimbledon’s ban of Russian and Belarusian players due to the war in Ukraine. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev of Germany was sidelined after surgery to repair torn ankle ligaments.
Federer, 40, missed the tournament for the first time since he won the junior title in 1998 but said he hopes to return from his latest knee surgery later this fall, and, he hopes, return to Wimbledon one more time next year.
MORE: Wimbledon Women’s Singles Draw
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2022 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Draw
