If there’s any positives to take from Rafael Nadal needing to withdraw before the semifinals, it’s that tennis fans were guaranteed the opportunity to see Nick Kyrgios in a Grand Slam final. Kyrgios might be a polarizing personality, but there is no denying that he is one of the game’s most exciting players. And now, we’ll get a chance to see him in a meeting with Novak Djokovic, which should make for an explosive match-up. The Serbian even said that there should be a lot of “fireworks emotionally” from both players.
While Kyrgios has never played in the final at a major, Djokovic will be looking to win his 21st Grand Slam title. That gives the 35-year-old a huge edge in the experience department. But Kyrgios isn’t the type of player to let nerves get to him. The Australian occasionally gets into it with umpires, of course, which can throw him off his game and would doom him against Djokovic, who is too good not to take advantage of a situation like that. But for what it’s worth, the 27-year-old has done a decent job of keeping his emotions in check all year—his third-rounder against Stefanos Tsitsipas notwithstanding—and he genuinely seems happier and more focused than ever.
Kyrgios also happens to be playing the best tennis of his life right now, and is 12-2 since the start of grass-court season. The Australian boldly claimed that he is a Top 5 or 10 player in the world on this surface, and he has backed it up with some impressive play over the last couple of weeks. Kyrgios also made a run to the quarterfinals in Indian Wells back in March, which was just another impressive accomplishment in what has been the best year of the Australian’s career.