• Wimbledon, Day 13

Djokovic downs Nadal in thrilling Wimbledon final

Novak Djokovic beat Rafael Nadal to win his first Wimbledon title © Getty Images

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Wimbledon Day 13 Gallery
Plays of the Day: Day 13

Novak Djokovic cemented his status as the new world No. 1 with a thrilling four-set victory over Rafael Nadal to win his first Wimbledon title.

Djokovic, who is now 48 wins from 49 matches this season, held off a resurgent Nadal to claim a 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3 victory and claim his second major of the year.

Nadal, who was unbeaten in 20 matches at the tournament, stretching back to the 2007 final at the All England Club, fired an early warning to the Serb, unleashing two blistering forehands down the line, but Djokovic hung on to hold serve.

Djokovic has made no secret of his desperation to win Wimbledon, and after struggling to hold serve on his opening two service games, began to settle into his rhythm and held his third to love. With so much at stake, neither player was giving much away, but just as it looked as if a tiebreak was inevitable, Djokovic battled back from 0-30 down on the Nadal serve to snatch the opening set - triumphing in a gruelling rally before Nadal sprayed a forehand wide.

And he carried his momentum into the second set, showing incredible anticipation and speed to reach a drop shot to grab an early break to tighten his grip on the match. The Serb, who has lost just one match all season, dominated the baseline rallies and threatened to run away with the match as he stormed through the second set - wrong-footing Nadal to break once again before serving out for a two-set lead with frightening efficiency.

With Nadal facing the prospect of having to to become the first man since 1927 to come from two sets down to win the Wimbledon final, the Spaniard needed to force his way back into the match, and he showed impressive grit and determination to find an early breakthrough, before a confidence-boosting love service game stamped his authority on the fourth set.

As the swagger began to return to Nadal's game, Djokovic's level started to dip, and a double fault handed the Spaniard a double break as the momentum began to swing firmly in Nadal's favour.

With Nadal on the charge, Djokovic stemmed the relentless Nadal pressure at the beginning of a decisive fourth set, surviving break point before penetrating the Nadal serve immediately - only for Nadal to hit straight back - albeit with the help of the net cord.

As the set crept towards its conclusion, both players were on edge, and it was Nadal who cracked first; a double fault followed by two unforced errors handed Djokovic three break points. With his Wimbledon crown slipping from his grasp, Nadal saved the first, but as he fired another groundstroke long, Djokovic held his nerve to serve out for the championship.

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