02:03 PM
Here come the players
Kyrgios is first out onto court with Djokovic following him behind.
Djokovic opts to put on a cap while Kyrgios already has his on backwards.
01:58 PM
McEnroe pays tribute to Barker
John McEnroe called Sue Barker the “Roger Federer of the broadcasting world” as he gave her a farewell hug ahead of the men’s singles final at Wimbledon this afternoon.
Barker’s last major final after 30 years at the face of the BBC’s tennis coverage is the match between Novak Djokovic and Nick Kyrgios and she was joined by McEnroe, the three times champion, and Pat Cash, before the match.
After they had finished analysing the forthcoming final, McEnroe broke off script. “Before I go I want to give you one last hug, Sue,” he said. “Thank you for everything, you’ve been amazing. Unbelievable. You are like the Roger Federer of the broadcasting world.”
01:53 PM
Tennis correspondent Simon Briggs previews Djokovic vs Kyrgios
01:42 PM
Sue Barker is smiling now but there’s likely to be tears later
Last month, Des Lynam paid tribute to Barker here.
01:31 PM
Andy Murray helped save Nick Kyrgios’ life, his mother reveals
Kyrgios opened up on his mental health struggles in February, saying he had had suicidal thoughts in the past.
And now his mother Nill has opened up in an interview with Australia’s Nine News about how the British former No 1 noticed evidence of self-harm on Krygios’s body during training a few years ago.
Read more here.
01:17 PM
Which name will be on the title by the end of the day?
01:07 PM
Win No 39?
Djokovic is currently on an incredible Centre Court streak with 38 wins in a row, the longest in the history of the tournament.
He has not lost there since Andy Murray beat him in the 2013 final – his two other defeat since then were on Court 1.
Djokovic’s run is also longer than any of Rafael Nadal’s winning streaks on Phillipe Chatrier at the French Open.
12:59 PM
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince George have arrived at Wimbledon
12:43 PM
Quite the turnaround for Kyrgios
12:30 PM
The stage awaits
Good afternoon and welcome for the final time this year to live coverage from Wimbledon.
It is men’s final day with Novak Djokovic taking on Nick Kyrgios for the right to lift the trophy. Two years ago, this match would have been billed as a grudge match but now there is something of a ‘bromance’ between them.
Kyrgios said: “We definitely have a bit of a bromance now, which is weird. I think everyone knows there was no love lost for a while there. I think it was healthy for the sport. I think every time we played each other, there was hype around it. It was interesting for the media, the people watching, all that.
“I felt like I was almost the only kind of player and someone to stand up for him with all that kind of drama at Australian Open. I feel like that’s where respect is kind of earned. Not on the tennis court, but I feel like when a real life crisis is happening and someone stands up for you…
“We actually message each other on DMs in Instagram now and stuff. It’s real weird. Actually, like, earlier in the week, he was like, Hopefully I’ll see you Sunday.”
If you had said at the start of the year that Djokovic would not win a grand slam in 2022, you would have been laughed out of the room. But defeat today for the Serbian would make that a reality after he missed the Australian Open due to his deportation, a loss to Rafael Nadal at the French Open and the likelihood of his vaccination stance meaning he cannot enter America for the US Open in August.
For Kyrgios, he has reached a major final for the first time in his incident packed career. His place was sealed when an abdominal injury meant Nadal was forced to withdraw from the tournament. However, Djokovic is not surprised the Australian has reached the final.
He said: “These are the occasions where he loves, where he thrives, in a big stage. So in a way it’s also not surprise for me that he’s there.
“Honestly, as a tennis fan, I’m glad that he’s in the finals because he’s got so much talent. Everyone was praising him when he came on the tour, expecting great things from him.
“Of course, then we know what was happening throughout many years with him mentally, emotionally. On and off the court, a lot of different things that were distracting him and he was not being able to get this consistency. For the quality player that he is, this is where he needs to be, and he deserves to be.”