novak djokovic of serbia defeated rafael nadal of spain 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 to become the 2011 wimbledon men's singles champion. djokovic culminated his first title at the all-england club in london by also claiming the #1 ranking for the first time in his stellar career. djokovic's incredible match record this year is 49-1. his lone loss came at the hands of world #3 roger federer of switzerland in the semi-finals of the french open.
djokovic beat nadal, the defending champion, for the fifth consecutive time this year - all in final matches. but this was his first victory against the humble spaniard in five major tournament clashes. the personable serb credits a gluten free diet, confidence & hard work as subtle keys to his dominant success. the 24 year-old djokovic admitted afterwards he struggled with self-doubt yet continued to believe he could beat the best players in the world when it counted most.
petra kvitova of czechoslovakia upset maria sharapova of russia 6-3, 6-4 to win her first major singles title. the 21 year-old lefty displayed a powerful serve, crushing ground strokes & winning volleys to exceed her own expectations. seeded #8, kvitova reached the wimbledon semi-finals - her first major semi showing - last year, losing to eventual champion serena williams. but this year she was poised to go all the way.
the shy czech grew up watching her idol, martina navratilova, win 9 wimbledon singles crowns. although she doesn't serve & volley like martina, kvitova's aggressive style was reminiscent of a younger sharapova. in 2004, at age 17, sharapova beat serena williams in straight sets to shock the tennis world upon winning her first major singles title. kvitova is headed for the top 5 & will be a favorite at the u.s. open.
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