Djokovic Dethones Nadal, Wins Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic defeated Rafael Nadal today at Center Court to win his first Wimbledon Championship and erase all whispered doubt that he wasn't really the best player in the world.

Winning 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3, there was only a brief period in the match where the end result seemed to be in doubt.

Djokovic played even with Nadal throughout most of the first set, showing his quickness and shot-making ability, winning points away from Nadal that very few players could have done.  With the first set 5-4 and on serve, Djokovic was able to earn his first service break and win the set with an excellent forehand down the line.

That first set sudden victory seemed to both energize Djokovic and cause Nadal to tighten up a bit, as Djokovic rolled through the second set quickly.  With two service breaks, Djokovic was able to win 6-1 in roughly 33 minutes, a very quick set.

The third set was the complete opposite of the second, as it was Nadal who broke Djokovic twice to coast through the set 6-1 in 31 minutes.  The match's momentum definitely seemed to be with Nadal at this point, with his impossible shot-making ability on full display.  Djokovic seemed to lose a bit of energy, and one had to wonder if the pressure of the day was finally catching up to the Serb.

In the fourth set, Djokovic was able to break Nadal in the first game, and this brought a greater energy back to his body language.  Summoning his considerable will that has made him a Champion, Nadal was then able to fight back in the next game, breaking Djokovic.

The players held service for the next few games, and then Djokovic won four straight service points to go up 4-3 in the fourth set.  Nadal seemed to sense the incredible pressure in that eighth game and opened his service game up with a double fault, his first of the match.  From there, he made a few unforced errors and was broken again.

With Djokovic up 5-3, he seemed to resort to the play of his second set and demonstrated in that final game why he's now #1.  Incredible quickness, unbelievable defense, and making the shots he needed to when it counted allowed Djokovic to win that final game and then hoist the Wimbledon Trophy as Champion.

Photo taken from http://www.tennisearth.com/news/tennisNews/Djokovic-ends-Federer-Nadal-era-wins-2011-Wimbledon-226845.htm