The Serb is now just one title behind Rafael Nadal in the all-time list
Nerves are always a topic of conversation in finals, although you would think that Djokovic, playing in his 32nd grand slam Sunday showdown, was past all that.
Kyrgios meanwhile, playing in the biggest match of his life by some distance, seemed focused and perhaps even relaxed: there were underarm serves and “tweeners” , and in fact they were an expression of concentration, rather than the opposite. It seemed as though Kyrgios wanted to let the maverick in him out in small bursts, and it was working – as was his serve.
By contrast, the up-until-now focused Kyrgios started to unravel. Having failed to convert four break points when Djokovic served for the second set, he berated his box. “Say something!” he begged, a theme that would develop over the match. At least, the referees’ office will say, he was not bullying line judges any more.