Novak Djokovic walked onto Centre Court at Wimbledon today assured that come Monday, he would be number one on the world. He also knew that had he lost to Rafael Nadal, most observers would consider his ranking to not be an indication of the true state of the men's game. Djokovic stepped onto the court today and dethroned the two time Wimbledon champion, doing it with a relentless attack that took Nadal completely out of his game. If it weren't for that magical day in Paris when Roger Federer broke his streak, we would be looking at a potential grand slam and the best season in the history of tennis. Regardless, Djokovic is clearly number one in the world, and this performance was by far the biggest win of his career, defeating a player who had not lost at Wimbledon since 2007. It wasn't the best tennis these two have produced, but in terms of drama and importance, this match was captivating. After the jump, we'll look at this match set by set.
Gentlemen's Singles Championship
Novak Djokovic def. Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-4
1st Set- Many observes commented that Djokovic might show signs of nerves to begin this match, having never played in a Wimbledon final before. There were no signs of nerves, and this was the best set of tennis in the match. There were many long points, and it was a great sign for Djokovic's chances that he was able to win most of them, something unheard of for a player playing Nadal. Both players' serves were very effective, and there were no break points until Nadal served at 4-5. Djokovic raised his game just a bit while Nadal missed a couple first serves. Djokovic converted his first break point of the match to win the first set.
2nd Set- This set featured the absolute best Djokovic can play. Every shot worked for him, and Nadal looked like a man who didn't know if there was anything he could do to stop Djokovic. It wasn't just the backhand that stymied Nadal. Every shot, the forehand, backhand, and the serve kept Nadal off-balance. Djokovic even volleyed especially well, which is not a part of his game he usually employs. It was over in a hurry, a 6-1 thrashing.
3rd Set- Of course, with a champion like Nadal, you knew he would no go down quietly, and this was the case with this match. Nadal raised his level of play, and his shots began landing deeper with much more pace and depth. Djokovic, for his part, began shanking many balls that were easy for him. Nadal broke Djokovic in his first service game and ran away with the set, winning 6-1. It was at this point that it looked like Djokovic was feeling the pressure for the first time in the match. Going into the fourth set, he would have to raise his energy level and stop the Nadal onslaught.
4th Set- Djokovic quickly righted the ship. He held, and then broke Nadal right away after a couple uncharacteristic unforced errors. However, the break was short lived, as Nadal broke Djokovic right back. The key game was Djokovic serving at 2-2 after having been broken in his last service game. He tightened up his game, and held. The pattern of holding continued until Nadal served at 3-4. Djokovic hit a couple huge forehands, Nadal a couple errors, and before Nadal could regain his composure, he was broken and Djokovic was serving for the Championship. There were a couple tight points on his serve, and Nadal had it at 30-30 after a weak error. Djokovic was able to close it out with some excellent play, and after Nadal's backhand flew long, he dropped to the ground in celebration. He had dethroned the king and usurped the Nadal-Federer dynasty at Wimbledon.
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