Novak Djokovic is the new world number one and he has proved it. The Serb this morning did what no man has done since 2007 - beat Rafael Nadal at Wimbledon - to win tennis' most coveted title.
A thrilling 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over the Spaniard, the very player he has displaced at the top of the world rankings chart, left Djokovic a picture of utter exhilaration, overcome at the realisation he is the first player since Nadal or Roger Federer to triumph at the All England club since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.
It is the 24-year-old's third grand slam title, following a pair of Australian Open victories in 2008 and this January, but unquestionably the one he will savour the most.
He picks up a cool $1.64 million as Wimbledon champion but given his already bursting bank balance it is the title itself which he will treasure as well as the status that it guarantees.
Djokovic's rise to the apex of the men's game has come about as a result of a year almost without flaw, having only lost the one match to Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals.
Yet before this Wimbledon final there was the inevitable question whether he was genuinely the best player in the world at present, given Nadal's lofty standing and victory at Roland Garros last month.
Now there can be no doubt whatsoever.
Djokovic's win over the 10-time grand slam champion is the fifth time in a row he has got the better of Nadal.
All have been this year, all have been in finals and all have been on significant stages.
Even so it was hardly a formality that Djokovic would repeat the trick when it counted most, on a surface he admits is not his favourite.
Appearing in his first Wimbledon final against a player who had been there on the last Sunday in five of the last six years he was fuelled by the occasion rather than in fear of it.
He raced away to a two-set lead in only 74 minutes, leaving a scrambling Nadal on the brink of a first defeat in south-west London since Federer edged him out over five sets in the final four years ago.
Nadal had won the title twice since, and sat out the 2009 championships with a knee injury. While he had few answers to the Serb early on it was hardly shocking that a player of his calibre might have a fightback in him.
The surprise was in its scope.
Djokovic, hitherto impregnable on serve, was broken twice as the third set took a dramatic turn.
Nadal, now properly in charge, took the set in half an hour. In a match of phenomenal quality further twists were never far away, though, and it took until only the second game of the fourth set for Djokovic to regain the ascendancy.
He broke Nadal to take a 2-0 lead but with a faint scent of impending glory in the air the Spaniard struck back immediately.
Djokovic, however, found another gear.
While Nadal blazed away he held firm, breaking again for a 5-3 lead and the serving out the match.
A thrilling 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 win over the Spaniard, the very player he has displaced at the top of the world rankings chart, left Djokovic a picture of utter exhilaration, overcome at the realisation he is the first player since Nadal or Roger Federer to triumph at the All England club since Lleyton Hewitt in 2002.
It is the 24-year-old's third grand slam title, following a pair of Australian Open victories in 2008 and this January, but unquestionably the one he will savour the most.
He picks up a cool $1.64 million as Wimbledon champion but given his already bursting bank balance it is the title itself which he will treasure as well as the status that it guarantees.
Djokovic's rise to the apex of the men's game has come about as a result of a year almost without flaw, having only lost the one match to Roger Federer in the French Open semi-finals.
Yet before this Wimbledon final there was the inevitable question whether he was genuinely the best player in the world at present, given Nadal's lofty standing and victory at Roland Garros last month.
Now there can be no doubt whatsoever.
All have been this year, all have been in finals and all have been on significant stages.
Even so it was hardly a formality that Djokovic would repeat the trick when it counted most, on a surface he admits is not his favourite.
Appearing in his first Wimbledon final against a player who had been there on the last Sunday in five of the last six years he was fuelled by the occasion rather than in fear of it.
He raced away to a two-set lead in only 74 minutes, leaving a scrambling Nadal on the brink of a first defeat in south-west London since Federer edged him out over five sets in the final four years ago.
Nadal had won the title twice since, and sat out the 2009 championships with a knee injury. While he had few answers to the Serb early on it was hardly shocking that a player of his calibre might have a fightback in him.
The surprise was in its scope.
Djokovic, hitherto impregnable on serve, was broken twice as the third set took a dramatic turn.
Nadal, now properly in charge, took the set in half an hour. In a match of phenomenal quality further twists were never far away, though, and it took until only the second game of the fourth set for Djokovic to regain the ascendancy.
He broke Nadal to take a 2-0 lead but with a faint scent of impending glory in the air the Spaniard struck back immediately.
Djokovic, however, found another gear.
While Nadal blazed away he held firm, breaking again for a 5-3 lead and the serving out the match.
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