Djokovic Beats Nadal, Wins Wimbledon

Novak Djokovic won his first Wimbledon title today, and he beat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to do it. Djokovic, who was already guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking from the Spaniard tomorrow, extended his mastery over Nadal this season with a fifth straight head-to-head victory.

Djokovic assured himself of the top ranking just by reaching the final. He opened the season with 41 straight wins, including the Australian Open title, but his 43-match winning streak came to an end against Roger Federer in the French Open semifinals. The win over Nadal improved Djokovic's record in 2011 to 48-1, with five of them coming against the Spaniard in finals—two on hard courts, two on clay, and now one on grass. (More Wimbledon stories.)