Prior to the match, the man Djokovic beat in the final to win his seventh Wimbledon title in 2022, Kyrgios, shared his wish for the Serb to go all the way at SW19 before immediately calling time on his career.
“I want Novak to win Wimbledon, that would be good,” he told UTS Tour. “And then finished. Retire here.”
Speaking to Kyrgios was esteemed tennis coach Patrick Mouratoglou, who was on exactly the same page. “It would be the best way,” said Serena Williams’ former trainer. “Me too. I really love him. I think he’s amazing.
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“You know what I love in him? He’s probably the only tennis player, I mean like huge champion, who doesn’t care. He has his beliefs, and he stands with his beliefs even if everybody’s against him. This is unbelievable.”
Djokovic, in many ways, breaks the mould among modern tennis stars, sticking to his guns over a primarily plant-based, gluten-free diet, turning to yoga poses and unorthodox breathing exercises midway through matches, and accepting controversy over his opposition to having the Covid vaccine, which saw him deported from Australia in 2022 after he refused to budge.
Djokovic will feel that some of those things have boosted his longevity to the point he can still compete for Grand Slam titles in his late-thirties. But with Sinner and Alcaraz becoming increasingly formidable, Djokovic is facing an ever-tougher test to get a 25th win over the line.
Whether Djokovic would put down his racket without reaching that record-breaking landmark remains to be seen. The veteran has previously stated an intention to compete at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which would take him past his 41st birthday while Sinner and Alcaraz would be in their mid-twenties.