A sometimes awkward weekend at the All England Club for the Duchess of Cambridge, handled with her usual aplomb.
First she had to present the women’s trophy to someone whose roots are firmly in Russia. Then on Sunday she could only look on as her young son was repeatedly exposed to some industrial language from Nick Kyrgios, just under the Royal Box.
The Australian has been bemoaning his lack of opportunity to take in the sights of London during his fortnight of self-denial. The Tower of London today perhaps?
Nick Kyrgios was his usual bundle of contradictions and expletives in the Wimbledon final
Any Kyrgios performance comes with parental guidance. While he let himself down with some of the expletives, and the raging, at this Wimbledon he massively contributed to the show.
His bundle of contradictions was on display right until the very end of his stay at SW19.
He fought tenaciously throughout the fourth set to take this final to a tie-break, only to pretty much throw it away with a slew of errors as a decider beckoned.
Then there was one last contradiction when he sat, slumped and dejected in his chair, as Novak Djokovic drank in the adulation bestowed on the winner.
Kyrgios had some good moments but he still wasn’t able to secure glory at Wimbledon
He reached into his bag for the red cap he knows to be outlawed on Centre Court, wearing it for the formalities.
Then he tidied up around his chair, picking up his discarded water bottles and banana skins, and thoughtfully put them in the adjacent bin, while everyone’s gaze was averted to Djokovic embracing his family. An odd mix of defiance and deference.
Djokovic was rightfully enjoying the moment in the wake of the outstanding performance which was required to seal the title. That the defending champion had to draw on all his phenomenal Centre Court experience, and find a level arguably higher than any other during his spree of four straight titles, was down to the quality of Kyrgios.
The relentless efficiency and concentration of Djokovic from the second set onwards would have seen off anyone, even if at times it looked like the Zen master versus Kevin the Teenager.
Kyrgios ensured that he wore his outlawed red cap for the formalities following the final
Djokovic had to draw on all of his Centre Court experience in order to overcome Kyrgios
It was not that Kyrgios played badly and could not access his greatest weapon, his serve. He blasted 30 aces and landed 73 per cent of his first deliveries. Still the greatest returner of all time got enough of them back and asked the questions.
This was sufficient to see off a player trying to become the first unseeded male champion since 2001. The last to do it was another stormy character with a thunderbolt serve, Goran Ivanisevic, and on Sunday he was sitting in the victor’s box as his coach.
The Croatian observed later that it is almost impossible to plan for a match against Kyrgios. ‘Nick is a tennis genius,’ he said. ‘He doesn’t know how he’s going to play next in the point.
‘We just concentrate on what Novak has to do. For me, Nick is the best server in the game by far. Unbelievable player, very unpredictable, it’s impossible to make tactics.’
Djokovic admitted that it is almost impossible to prepare for a match against Kyrgios
What they were clearly aware of was the likelihood that Kyrgios would blow at some point, and that it would be the moment to strike. ‘He knew that on this stage, when Nick starts to talk, he’s going to be vulnerable. You know, that happened.’
Kyrgios spent much of sets two and three venting at his support box, as if he was a supercharged Andy Murray on the days when Ivan Lendl is not around. As has sometimes proved the case with the Scot, this is still going to be an impediment when it comes to fulfilling potential.
Kyrgios has emerged from this slightly diluted Wimbledon reminding everyone that he can yet be a major asset to the sport if the excesses can be trimmed and his personal affairs settled. In a sport whose audience is ageing, he connects to the younger element like nobody else, perhaps including Prince George.
Kyrgios connects to the younger element like nobody else, perhaps including Prince George
The greatest reason why this rebel final never quite became a classic, however, was the difference in mental strength between the two protagonists.
Djokovic was able to lock in when he most needed to. The two decisive games were firstly when the Serb served for the second set and came back from 0-40 to level the match. The second was when he broke Kyrgios by coming back from the same margin at 4-4 in the third.
That was the chasm, and these two passages notably came at the end of sets when the Australian was failing to contain his frustration at the metronomic consistency of his opponent.
Prosaically, if there was one major technical difference between the two it was the return of serve on the forehand side, with that of Kyrgios continually exposed.
Djokovic secured glory at Wimbledon again and showed that he is the master of Centre Court
The match followed a very similar trajectory to the semi-final that featured Cam Norrie.
On both occasions the challenger made a great start, only for the champion to start dominating early in the second set. Both contests got tighter towards the end of the fourth set but Djokovic was able to close it out when it mattered most.
This is what happens when you have not lost a match on an arena since 2013. At the recent French Open it seemed he was still suffering from the blow to his resolve that came with the humiliation in Australia this year. At SW19 that dead-eyed look was back.
Djokovic may still not be the darling of Centre Court, but he is certainly its master.
