Nick Kyrgios ‘Nervous’ Before Wimbledon Final, Will Face Novak Djokovic

Nick Kyrgios is in his first Grand Slam final, but it certainly didn’t happen the way anyone envisioned. 

The Australian was scheduled to play Rafael Nadal in the Wimbledon semifinal on Friday, but a torn abdominal muscle forced Nadal to withdraw, vaulting Kyrgios into Sunday’s final at The All England Club. 

Kyrgios told reporters that he heard the news Thursday night while at dinner, to his disappointment. 

“I found out last night at dinner just before I got indicated that it was going to happen,” Kyrgios said on Friday. “Honestly, my first feeling was a bit of disappointment. My energy was so focused on playing him and tactically how I'm going to go out there and play, the emotions of walking out there, and all that type of stuff. But, you know, it wouldn't have been easy for him to do that.”

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"I’m sure that a lot of his team members and himself, there was a big part of him that wanted to play. For sure. He barely lost a match this year and he wanted to probably go for all four. So it wouldn't be easy.”

Controversy has followed Kyrgios throughout his career, but it’s picked up during the 2022 Wimbledon tournament. 

In his third-round upset over No. 4 Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kyrgios had multiple outbursts directed at the umpire and received a code violation for swearing. On Thursday, it was reported that Kyrgios will appear in front of an Australian court on assault charges filed by his ex-girlfriend. 

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Kyrgios will try and focus on the Wimbledon final as he attempts to win his first tennis major. 

“I had a shocking sleep last night though, to be honest,” Kyrgios said. “I got probably an hour of sleep. Just with everything, the excitement. I had so much anxiety. I was already feeling so nervous, and I don't feel nervous usually.”

Kyrgios will play the No. 1 seed, Novak Djokovic, in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, a matchup with some history. 

“We definitely have a bit of a bromance now, which is weird,” Kyrgios said. “I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there. But I think it was healthy for the sport. I think every time we played each other, there was hype around it. It was interesting for the media, the people watching, all that.”

“Ever since I felt like I was almost the only kind of player and someone to stand up for him with all that kind of drama at the Australian Open. I feel like that’s where respect is kind of earned. Not just on the tennis court, but I feel like when a real-life crisis is happening and someone stands up for you.”