NOVAK DJOKOVIC will wake up this morning as the best tennis player in the world after ending Rafael Nadal’s reign at Wimbledon.
The Serbian clinched the world number one spot with his semi-final victory over Jo- Wilfried Tsonga on Friday, but it would have taken the edge off his achievement had he been beaten by Nadal.
Spaniard Nadal had not lost at the All England Club since the final of 2007 but Djokovic played sublime tennis for two sets and then recovered from a third-set wobble to win 6-4 6- 1 1-6 6-3.
The new champion said: ‘‘I managed to achieve a lifetime goal and I managed to make my dream come true, all in three days. It’s just an incredible feeling that I’m never going to forget. This is the best day of my tennis career.
‘‘Any athlete in the world dreams of being number one.
This is something that gives us a lot of motivation. So finally, when you really do it and when you know that you’re the best, it’s just an amazing achievement.’’ Djokovic’s win made it 48 victories from 49 matches in a phenomenal season that has also brought him the Australian Open and six ATP World Tour titles, with his only defeat coming against Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals.
But the spark that set him on his way came in December, when he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup for the first time.
He said: ‘‘After the Davis Cup win I was full of life, full of energy, eager to come back to the tennis court, eager to play some more, win some other tournaments.”
Nadal, with 20 straight wins behind him at Wimbledon until yesterday, began the brighter but Djokovic gradually gained the upper hand, breaking for the first time to take the opening set.
The second was a masterclass from the Serbian, who was playing at a level even the great Nadal could not get anywhere near.
Djokovic was in complete control but suddenly his level dropped, Nadal broke for the first time at the start of the third set and went on to take it in just as dominant fashion as his opponent had the second.
The start of the fourth became key, and Djokovic saved a break point in the opening game before breaking himself for 2-0.
Back came Nadal, helped by a net cord, but in the eighth game he cracked and Centre Court hailed a new champion.
Explaining his third-set slump, Djokovic said: ‘‘I think I relaxed a little bit too much at the start.
“When you’re playing a player like Nadal, he uses his opportunity and he gets back into the match.”
Djokovic sealed victory when Nadal fired a backhand long, and the Serbian collapsed to the ground in celebration before picking a blade of grass and eating it.
He said: ‘‘I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good. It came spontaneously really. I didn’t plan to do it.’’ The win was Djokovic’s fifth in finals against Nadal this year, with the 24-year-old also collecting Masters Series titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome.
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