Djokovic Wins Wimbledon Dream

2011 Wimbledon winner [Getty Images]

Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title with a four-set victory over defending champion Rafael Nadal.

The Serbian second seed went into his first Wimbledon final as the underdog despite losing just once all year and being confirmed as the new world number one on Monday.

But Nadal - a two-time Wimbledon champion with 10 Grand Slams to his name - had no answer to Djokovic's power and accuracy for most of the match, as the 24-year-old won 6-4 6-1 1-6 6-3.

Two-time Australian champion Djokovic now has three Grand Slam titles to his name and has won an astonishing 48 out of 49 matches in 2011.

His 41 consecutive wins - until that one defeat to Roger Federer in Paris - included four over Nadal in the finals of Masters Series events, two of them on the Spaniard's favoured clay.

But Nadal had not been beaten at Wimbledon since a five-set loss to Federer in the final of 2007, and his record against Djokovic in grand slams was 5-0.

The first set went with serve as both men found their range right from the off.

But the Serbian slowly began to come out on top in the long, thumping rallies, and two stunning forehand winners took him to 30-30 with his opponent serving to stay in the first set.

Suddenly Nadal cracked, dumping a tame shot into the net to hand Djokovic the set point and then missing with his favourite forehand down the line.

A lucky net cord took Nadal to 0-30 in the opening game of the second set but Djokovic was like a rock, and it was Nadal who was making the errors - more of them than he had in four sets of his semi-final against Andy Murray.

It was a key moment. Djokovic promptly created two more break points in the next game and he took the first with a beautiful dinked backhand off a Nadal drop-volley, celebrating as if he had won the match.

Murray had let the Spaniard off the hook but Djokovic simply got better, breaking again in the sixth game and clinching the set with ease.

The question was whether the 24-year-old would be able to keep up his almost superhuman level, and the answer arrived in the second game of the third set when a forehand error was followed by a backhand one and Nadal had his first break from his first opening.

The crowd had been waiting for a fightback, and they erupted. Nadal began to slow things down, forcing Djokovic to apply the pace, and his error count soared.

He saved two break points in game six but a third brought his first double fault of the match, and Nadal served out another emphatic set to love.

The fourth set reverted to the tight, tense tennis of the first, until the eighth game, when once again Nadal crumbled - almost from out of the blue.

He started the game with a double fault, and two more errors made it 0-40.

He saved one break point with a stunning forehand but on the second - and not for the first time - he blasted a mistimed forehand long.

Djokovic, the man who dreamed of lifting the Wimbledon title as a child, would serve for it. 

A brave serve and volley gave him a first match point and this time Nadal had no answer, drilling a backhand long.

The title was Djokovic's and he knelt down, picked up a blade of grass and ate it before throwing his racquets into the crowd.

Djokovic Dreaming of Nadal SW19 Win

Rafa Nadal has the perfect stage to regain the bragging rights over Novak Djokovic when the world's top two contest the Wimbledon singles final on Centre Court today (2pm).

The Spaniard will wake up tomorrow morning ranked below Djokovic for the first time after the Serb's surge to number one in the rankings, but that will not concern Nadal if he wins his third Wimbledon title and takes his major haul to 11.

Defending champion Nadal is on a 20-match winning streak at the championships, stretching back to 2008 and only interrupted by his absence in 2009 through injury.

He was in devastating form to beat Scotland's Andy Murray in the semi-finals while Djokovic, looking to win the Wimbledon crown for the first time, beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, a win that confirmed his elevation to number one.

Djokovic trails Nadal 16-11 in head-to-heads and has never beaten the Mallorcan spin king in grand slam play, although he will be confident after winning four consecutive finals against his rival this year.

"It's just simply something I've dreamed of forever," Djokovic said of the final.

"I am very much looking forward to it, very excited. There is no bigger challenge at this point in our sport than playing in Wimbledon final against Nadal."

Petra Kvitova Wins Wimbledon Title

Czech Petra Kvitova won her first Grand Slam title with a straight-sets victory over former champion Maria Sharapova in the Wimbledon final.

The Russian fifth seed - champion seven years ago and a three-time Grand Slam winner - had not dropped a set coming into Saturday's final against the eighth seed.

But she had no answer to Kvitova's power and variation, with the left-hander winning her first Grand Slam final 6-3 6-4.

Sharapova gave a determined display but was betrayed by her misfiring serve, including six double faults.Kvitova looked nervous before a ball was struck and, after Sharapova won the toss and opted to receive, promptly dropped serve.

It was not, however, a sign of things to come. The 21-year-old broke back straightaway as Sharapova's service troubles became immediately obvious, not least the amount of time she was taking to compose herself between points.

The crucial game of the first set was the sixth, Kvitova taking it to open a 4-2 advantage courtesy of consecutive Sharapova double faults.

A pair of service holds, the second to love, was enough for Kvitova to close out the set and she broke immediately at the start of the second.

She consolidated for a 2-0 lead before Sharapova showed her renowned fighting qualities, somehow forcing her way back to 3-3 as both players struggled to hold on their own delivery.But the winners, particularly on returns of serve, never stopped coming from Kvitova's racquet and she broke Sharapova again for 4-3.

The Czech's kick serve to the body was used twice to good effect to hold for a 5-3 lead before Sharapova rallied for the final time, holding to at least make her opponent serve out the match.

She did so in some style, going 40-0 up before unleashing an ace down the middle - her first of the match - to seal victory in one hour and 25 minutes.

In doing so she became the first left-hander to triumph in the women's singles at SW19 since her hero Martina Navratilova in 1990; and the first Czech since Jana Novotna in 1998 - both of whom were in the crowd.

Sharapova Serves up Title Chance

Sharapova serves in semi-final

It is seven years since Sharapova landed her maiden grand slam title, toppling Serena Williams as a 17-year-old at the All England Club.

However she is on the verge of a second Wimbledon title - and a fourth grand slam crown - after she booked her place in the final by beating Germany's Sabine Lisicki 6-4 6-3.

The Russian will now take on Petra Kvitova, with Sharapova having had to overcome serious shoulder issues - and nearly a year away from the sport - to reach this stage again.

This will be Sharapova's fifth grand slam final and she admitted that the thought of competing in more kept her going during her rehabilitation.

Sharapova said: "I think when you know how good it feels to lift the big trophies, the ones you really want in your career, and when you know how well you can play ... that's why I never had interest in stopping. I always felt like I had a lot better things in me.

Tough

"You're going to have certain doubts when you go through something like that knowing that not too many players have recovered fully from something like that.

"In a tennis life everything happens automatically. You know when the next tournaments are. You wake up in the morning, you know you're going to go to practice. You know you're going to have a couple of days off. Everything is kind of on autopilot.

"Then all of a sudden you just stop.

"I certainly didn't like being in an indoor centre doing these little exercises with 30 repetitions every time. It was so annoying. It really was.

"I'm not really the type of person that ever gives up. Even though it was tough, I believed in myself."

Kvitova was a surprise semi-finalists at Wimbledon 12 months ago, however her subsequent form on grass means Sharapova knows she will not have things her own way on Saturday.

"I expect her to be a really tough opponent," Sharapova said.

Djokovic Makes First Wimbledon Final

New world number one Novak Djokovic fought off a resilient display from Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to earn a place in his first Wimbledon final.

Djokovic, seeded second, battled back from a break down to take a marathon first set before easing his way to a second in front of a packed crowd on Centre Court.

The Serb then wasted two match points in a thrilling third-set tie-break before eventually sealing a 7-6 (7/4) 6-2 6-7 (11/9) 6-3 victory.

Despite being on the back foot during the opening stages, Djokovic performed admirably in the face of some brutal tennis from his towering opponent and will be confirmed as world number one on Monday, regardless of whether he beats Rafael Nadal, who later beat Andy Murray in the second semi-final, in Sunday's decider.

There was little to suggest that Tsonga would lose at the start of the match as he came flying out of the blocks with a superb display of attacking tennis.

The Queen's Club finalist started in the same way he had finished against Roger Federer in the previous round, breaking Djokovic in the first game with a series of punishing strokes.

Djokovic, seemingly taken aback by the Frenchman's power, appeared to have no answer to his opponent's beast of a forehand.

However, he provided occasional reminders of his brilliance and grew in confidence towards the end of the first set.

Djokovic wasted two break points in the eighth game, but made no such mistake when Tsonga served for the first set.

Both players held to take the set to a tie-break where Tsonga buckled again at 4-6, finding the net with a volley to give Djokovic the advantage.

Tsonga went from bad to worse as he was broken twice in quick succession to trail 4-1 in the second set.

Djokovic was now in full flow, mixing fierce ground strokes with nonchalant drop shots and he took the second set 6-2.

Mindful that Tsonga had battled back from two sets down against Federer, Djokovic looked to close out the match in the third.

A rollercoaster set followed, with both players breaking each other twice to cause another tie-break.

The tie-break proved just as entertaining as the games that had preceded it, with Djokovic spurning two match points, although the second was missed thanks to a stunning ace from Tsonga.

Tsonga had himself squandered three set points before making the fourth one count, forcing Djokovic to return just over the baseline to win the tie-break 11-9.

The hard work Tsonga had put in at the end of the third set was wasted at the start of the fourth as Djokovic stormed into a 2-0 lead after breaking his opponent to love.

Serving later to stay in the match, Tsonga hit a wonderful lob to take the fourth set into a ninth game, but in truth the Frenchman was looking tired and defeat looked inevitable.

Djokovic kept calm to earn two match points after Tsonga put a forehand into the net, and the Serb was soon kissing the Centre Court turf with joy after Tsonga sent a return wide.

Djokovic admitted afterwards that he was struggling to come to terms with the win.

'It's difficult to put it into words,' Djokovic said.

'My dreams are coming true, it's the first finals of Wimbledon. I'm so happy to be playing well. It's hard to express your emotions in such a short time.'

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at SW19

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge © AELTC/ M.Hangst

Wimbledon's magical Monday in the sunshine has become a royal occasion, with a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

HRH Prince William and his new wife Catherine were given a rapturous reception from the Centre Court crowd as they took their places in the Royal Box before the start of the match between Andy Murray and Richard Gasquet.

For the visit, the Duchess is wearing a white tiered ruffle dress with circle details on the shoulder strap. The Duke is wearing a blue suit.

It is a visit that had not been previously announced but their presence may not come as a big surprise. William has always been a keen supporter of British sport at the highest level and Catherine's family are well-known as tennis fans. Earlier this month, the Duchess's sister Pippa enjoyed a day watching the action at Queen's Club.

And to mark the royal wedding earlier this year, the All England Club recently added a fascinating artefact to its museum - a handwritten note from the then Kate Middleton thanking officials at the Club after a visit to The Championships.

The note from 2008 reads, "Dear Sir. Thank you for your kind hospitality at Wimbledon last week. My friend and I had such a fantastic time and it was great to be able to enjoy the day knowing that we could have a little peace and quite if things got a little too hectic.

"It was a wonderfully relaxed day and we even spent part of it on the "Henman/Murray Hill", which was great fun. I really was not expecting to be looked after with such hospitality and I certainly wasn't expecting to see any of the Centre Court games. I do hope the end of the tournament runs smoothly and this fantastic weather lasts 'till the end of the week. Thank you again for making it such a fun and easy visit."

On this occasion, the Duchess will be watching the action from the Royal Box, which also includes two Kings among its guests. They are Billie Jean King, the six-time ladies' singles champion, and Sir Mervyn King, the recently knighted governor of the Bank of England.

Other guests include: F1 driver Mark Webber; Olympic rowing gold medallist Zac Purchase; Chris Kermode, the tournament director of the AEGON Championships and the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals; and Tony and Jane Henman, parents of Tim Henman who enthralled many a second Monday at Wimbledon during his career.The Duke and Duchess's presence in the Royal Box marks the second major royal visit during the 125th Championships. 

Last week, the Duchess of Cornwall was in the Royal Box to watch the thrilling match between Venus Williams and Kimiko Date-Krumm. Beforehand, she met six ballboys and ballgirls on the players' lawn.

Serena Stunned by Bartoli at Wimbledon

Marion Bartoli emphatically ended Serena Williams' reign at Wimbledon with a 6-3 7-6 (8-6) triumph over the defending champion.

Looking to take home the women's title for a third straight year, Williams was well below-par as she tumbled out in straight sets.

Having had less than three weeks of action during the year due to injury and serious illness, it was always a big ask for the American to retain her crown.

However few expected her to fall to Bartoli, who will now face German Sabine Lisici for a place in the semi-finals, on Court One on the second Monday of this year's Championship.

The Frenchwoman finally registered victory at the fifth time of asking having earlier blown the same number of opportunities to take the opening set.

Williams battled bravely throughout but her accuracy deserted her as she scooped a series of shots out of play, meaning for only the third time the defending champion has failed to make the quarter-finals in the open era.

It was one of a number of poorly-timed shots by the seventh seed that gave her opponent the opening break of serve in the sixth game of the first set.

Bartoli took the next game without conceding and although she found it tougher to hold her serve in an epic ninth game, saving three break points herself, two aces helped her clinch an absorbing first set.

An early break at the start of the second then seemed to suggest the ninth seed would cruise through to the quarter-finals at SW19.

Williams, though, refused to go down without a fight. She produced a pair of fine returns to dismiss Bartoli's first two match points and then somehow staved off another before getting the chance to claim the break back.

A stunning return put the set back on serve again and it would eventually take a tie-break to settle it.

Bartoli won a thrilling rally to secure her fourth match point, but the indomitable Williams struck an ace to counter. But, hitting the net on the next point, she was in trouble again and Bartoli seized her chance to seal a famous victory.

Tomic Announces Wimbledon Arrival

Tomic serves at SW19 [Getty]

Fifth seed Robin Soderling fell victim to the highest-profile surprise of the men's draw so far as he lost 6-1 6-4 7-5 to Australian teenager Bernard Tomic.

The Swede felt sick and dizzy as he lost the opening set of their third-round match in only 17 minutes.

Tomic, 18, kept firing groundstrokes as he secured the solitary break of the second set in its fifth game.

The upset was complete when the qualifier stole ahead late in the third before holding his nerve to serve out.

"It is probably the greatest achievement of my career so far, I'm really happy.

"I looked very calm but inside I was bursting. I could see he was getting frustrated and I tried not to show it to him.

"I will always remember this as the first time I have really done well at a Grand Slam.

"It is a new experience for me playing the second week. It has been weird but I'm sure I'll get used to it.

"I think I can win in the next round. I have to go out there and believe like I did today."

Soderling confirmed that he had struggled after feeling unwell for a couple of days before the match.

"I didn't feel so good on court. I wasn't moving well I was misjudging a lot of balls. " said Soderling.

"I felt sick, I felt weak and I felt dizzy. It just wasn't a good day.

"He played a pretty good first set but i was more worried about myself and finding my game."

Tomic, whose best previous run in a Grand Slam ended in a third-round defeat by world number one Rafael Nadal at the 2011 Australian Open, will play Xavier Malisse in the last 16.

The German-born right-hander began the tournament 153 ranking places adrift of Soderling, but the gap is certain to close after a crowd-pleasing win on Court One.

He is the youngest player to make the fourth round of Wimbledon since Michael Chang in 1990

Chang subsequently lost in straight sets to eventual winner Stefan Edberg

Soderling regularly motioned up to the players' box, apparently suffering with a problem with his vision, as the opening set slipped away in startling fashion.

His complaints became less frequent and his play improved in the second set, but another unforced error, as he netted a regulation shot at break point, allowed Tomic to move ahead again.

Soderling had recovered from two sets adrift to overhaul Tomic's countryman Lleyton Hewitt in the previous round, but he could not repeat the trick as Tomic faced down two break points to seize the final game and the match.

The win will take Tomic above Hewitt in the rankings, ending the 30-year-old's 11-year reign as Australian number one.

Tomic's next opponent, Belgian Malisse, was another surprise winner.

The unseeded 30-year-old ousted 11th seed Jurgen Melzer 7-6 6-3 6-0.

Ninth seed Gael Monfils was also sent crashing out of Wimbledon, beaten 6-3 3-6 6-3 6-3 by qualifier Lukasz Kubot.

Their match resumed on Court Three at one set all and 3-3 on Saturday after being bit by bad weather on Friday.

Juan Martin Del Potro set up a clash with defending champion Rafael Nadal after knocking out 15th seed Gilles Simon 7-6 (10-8) 7-6 (7-5) 7-5.

The 6ft 6in Argentine won to love on his service to seal victory, smashing a 126mph ace to finish off the Frenchman.

Del Potro's power and precision punishes Simon

Nadal, who beat Luxembourg's Gilles Muller to reach the fourth round, said of Del Potro: "He's a fantastic player, one of the best in the world.

"He had an important injury last year, but he's here now and he's at his top level."

Tomas Berdych, last year's beaten Wimbledon finalist, cruised into the fourth round with an easy win over Alex Bogomolov Jr.

The sixth seed from the Czech Republic saw off his American opponent 6-2 6-4 6-3 on Court 18.

Bogomolov Jr said: "Thomas got to the final last year for a reason. He's playing really well on grass and hitting some incredible shots on the run."

In the fourth round, Berdych will face another American, 10th seedMardy Fish.

Fish progressed after third-round opponent Robin Haase of the Netherlands retired with an injury, with the score at 6-3 6-7 (5-7) 6-2 1-1.

Kubot, who won three qualifying matches to get into the main draw and also reached the last 16 at the 2010 Australian Open, next plays Spain's Feliciano Lopez.

Spanish seventh seed David Ferrer eased into the second week with a 6-4 6-3 6-3 win over Slovakia's Karol Beck, and he now plays Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

French 12th seed Tsonga had a similarly comfortable passage into the fourth round, beating Fernando Gonzalez of Chile 6-3 6-4 6-3.

Tsonga's compatriot Michael Llodra, seeded 19th, will face second seed Novak Djokovic next after overcoming Yen-Hsun Lu 6-3 6-3 6-1.

Eighteenth seed Mikhail Youzhny will take on six-time champion Roger Federer after recovering from the loss of the opening set to grind out a 4-6 6-3 7-6 (7-3) 6-3 victory over Spain's Nicolas Almagro.