Can Nick Kyrgios Actually Win Wimbledon?

By: Vincent Chi

Nick Kygrios has been the talk of the tennis world for the past week, especially after his win against the 4th seed Stefanos Tsitsipas in Wimbledon.

Kyrgios is one of the most polarizing figures in the world of tennis; his talent is something people could only dream of. Who else can serve underhand multiple times on the biggest stages and be successful?

Kyrgios has one of the best serves in tennis, and a drop shot that is top tier as well. But his most impressive trait is his rowdiness and ability to get into opponents’ heads. Take his match with Tsitsipas as an example, Kyrgios didn’t even directly trash talk him, but his constant complaining to the umpire rattled Tsitsipas.

These antics ultimately led to Tsitsipas hitting a ball into the crowd, nearly hitting a spectator in the head. Kyrgios was constantly arguing with the umpire about how Tsitsipas should have been defaulted (ejected) from the match, claiming that he would have been kicked out if he did the same thing. Later in the match, after Kyrgios fooled Tsitsipas with another underhand serve, Tsitsipas rocketed the ball back with the intent of hitting Nick.

Nick Kyrgios’s talent is truly undeniable, and his competitive fire has also returned. During his quarterfinals match against Christian Garin, Kyrgios seemed quite professional and focused (to his standards), save for a couple of insults he threw at Garin. Kyrgios won the match with considerable ease and advanced to the semis.

Kyrgios dodged a bullet when Rafael Nadal withdrew from the competition. Nadal had a foot injury that made his quarterfinals match more competitive than it should have been. Nadal is widely considered one of the three greatest male tennis players ever. Kyrgios would have still had a great chance of advancing if he faced Nadal, but a free win is a win.

Now Kyrgios will face the consensus greatest male tennis player of all time, Novak Djokovic. I think Kyrgios is more athletic than Djokovic, but the veteran is definitely more technically skilled. Kyrgios cannot take his mind out of this game. There cannot be any drama because he needs to stay focused in order to beat Djokovic. Ultimately, Kyrgios has all the right tools to win, but his emotions might hold him back.