As Novak Djokovic returned to the lawns of Wimbledon to begin a new campaign two weeks ago, he navigated the grounds with an extra bit of pressure on his shoulders. He was deported before the first grand slam tournament of the year, then he was outplayed in the second. It is still not certain where he will be allowed to play next. On the court, he was still toiling to regain the mental edge that has evaded him this year.
It has evidently returned. In one of the most keenly awaited grand slam finals for neutrals, Djokovic absorbed a faultless start from Nick Kyrgios before raising his own level and gradually smothering his opponent as he so often does, recovering from a set down to defeat Kyrgios 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (3) and win his fourth consecutive Wimbledon title.
As the chaos unfolded across the net, Djokovic remained composed and his level gradually rose to the stratosphere. He played incredibly throughout the third set, committing just two unforced errors to 14 winners. He had to be patient in the fourth set as Kyrgios served extremely well, but one of the many problems for his opponents these days is that he can serve just as efficiently as they can. As the tiebreak commenced, Djokovic soared as Kyrgios fell away. After a short interlude earlier this year, he resumed his pursuit of history.
After his holiday, Kyrgios must answer to far more serious matters. He has been summonsed to appear in court on 2 August in Canberra for a charge of assault against his ex-girlfriend, Chiara Passari, news that was revealed after his fourth round match earlier in the week.
The way the Serbian has adapted his game to thrive on this surface over the years is one of the great successes in this sport. He is now unbeaten on Centre Court since 2013, across 39 matches. He is increasingly rare company with his achievements on this surface and, most of all, he is not finished.
