Kyrgios was left gutted and heartened in equal parts following Sunday’s 4-6 6-3 6-4 7-6 (7-3) loss to Novak Djokovic in a high-quality Wimbledon title match.

The Australian underdog defied his unseeded status to have Djokovic only a few points away from staring down a two-set deficit on a centre court where the now 21-time grand slam champion has been undefeated in almost a decade.

“It’s taken me 10 years, almost 10 years in my career to finally get to the point of playing for a grand slam and coming up short, but my level is right there,” Kyrgios said.

“You look at what Novak has done to some other opponents, and it’s not a good feeling. But I’m right there. I’m not behind the eight ball at all.

“I came out in the first set and I looked like I was the one who had played in a lot of finals. I thought I dealt with the pressure pretty well.”

Djokovic defied heatwave conditions, a fierce early barrage and 30 Kyrgios aces to coolly clinch a seventh Wimbledon crown and grand slam No.21

“I’m lost words for what this tournament, what this trophy means to me, to my team and my family,” Djokovic said after holding up the Challenge Cup once again.

Nick Kyrgios during his Men’s Singles third round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships. Photo: Zac Goodwin/PA Wire.

At 27, Kyrgios conceded before the final that he’d feared his time had come and gone and that he would never make a grand slam final.

The mercurial talent – described post-match by Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic as a “tennis genius” – remains unsure if he’ll reach another slam final.

After a rollercoaster, controversy-laden run to the final, Kyrgios had been bidding to become Australia’s first men’s grand slam singles winner since Lleyton Hewitt reigned at the All England Club in 2002.

He looked on track after taking the opening set with a scintillating display of tennis underpinned by some typically huge serving but also showcasing his trademark tweener and cheeky under-arm serve.

After fining Kyrgios $US14,000 ($A20,500) for spitting on their hallowed grass courts and calling an umpire a disgrace during a tempestuous first week of the championships, All England Club poobahs must have been squirming at the prospect of having to welcome tennis’s most volatile star in as a new member.

Djokovic, though, drew on all his vast experience and champion qualities to wear down Canberra’s erratic showman physically and mentally in temperatures nudging towards 40 degrees on the sport’s most famous centre court.

“Hats off to him. That was a hell of a match. I thought I served well. I put myself in a position to win, but I just wasn’t able to play those clutch points well at all today,” Kyrgios said.

Kyrgios had been on his best behaviour early on in front of a royal box featuring the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Australian greats Rod Laver and John Newcombe, and a raft of other royals and luminaries.

But, after dropping serve for the first time in his career against Djokovic to fall behind 3-1 in the second set, he grew frustrated.

The hot-head was even more agitated after being unable to break back in the ninth game despite holding four break points and having Djokovic 0-40 down as the Serb levelled the match at one set apiece.

Nick Kyrgios reacts in the men’s first round match against Paul Jubb of Great Britain at Wimbledon. Photo Tolga Akmen/EPA

Kyrgios threatened to unravel after being given a code violation for swearing in the fifth game of the pivotal third set after claiming to have been distracted while serving by a mouthy spectator in the crowd.

He angrily condemned chair umpire Renaud Lichtenstein’s decision as “a joke” and demanded the woman be removed.

“She’s drunk out of her mind … so kick her out,” Kyrgios pleaded with the French official.

“The one that looks like she’s had about 700 drinks, bro,” he added when asked which spectator it was.

Even young Prince George, sitting between William and Kate, was bemused by Kyrgios’s behaviour.

There was no let-up, though, as Kyrgios let rip at his box after despairingly being broken at 4-4 from 40-0 up to gift Djokovic the opportunity to serve out the third set.

The top seed duly did so, collected his gear and departed for a toilet break as Kyrgios was left to wonder how the final had so quickly turned.

There were no service breaks in a tense, hour-long fourth set as Djokovic sealed victory in a tiebreaker after three hours, one minute to capture his seventh Wimbledon crown, equalling American great Pete Sampras and Britain’s 1880s champion William Renshaw.

Roger Federer, with eight titles at London’s SW19, is the only man to have won more.

“The confidence and the belief in yourself, that only comes with achievement or something that (Djokovic has) achieved like that many times,” Kyrgios said.

“I can only imagine how confident he feels every day, especially at Wimbledon, walking around.

“So I’ve got that under my belt now, a Wimbledon finalist. I can kind of draw from experience.

“My level has always been there but I feel like I’ve kind of put it together a little bit this week, these couple weeks.”

In his victory speech, Djokovic said he was convinced Kyrgios would continue challenging for grand slam spoils now that he’s finally broken through to a final.

Kyrgios credits his new-found contentment off the court for his improved fortunes on it.

“My fire’s been lit this whole year,” he said.

“I’ve obviously met a lot of amazing people this year who have just given me extra motivation.

“To find people that finally have my back, that I just love being around, and they just want to push me to be a better person and to be a better tennis player, they realise that I’m immensely talented and I have a lot of, I feel like, a lot more to do in this sport.”

Sticking to a limited playing schedule, Kyrgios plans on taking a break to recharge for the American hardcourt swing culminating in the US Open starting on August 29.

– AAP