Tennis:Rafael Nadal cemented his status as the best player in the world with a 6-3 7-5 6-4 demolition of surprise Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych on Centre Court this afternoon. The Spaniard secured his second Wimbledon title with a 6-3 7-5 6-4 win over Czech 12th seed.
Nadal took two hours and 13 minutes to win his eighth grand slam title, securing back-to-back major victories in Paris and London for the second time.
The first time he completed the feat, in 2008, it took five epic sets to beat Roger Federer, but it was a different story today as Berdych could not find the form that had seen him beat Federer and Novak Djokovic in previous rounds.
Nadal was at his supreme best in the first set, putting the 12th-seeded Czech emphatically in his place, and, although the next two sets were closer, the winner was never in doubt.
Nadal was thrilled to reclaim the Wimbledon crown after the knee injury problems last year which denied him the chance to defend the title.
He said: "To have this trophy in my hands is more than a dream for me. Playing my fourth final was amazing after a difficult year last year."
Referring to his absence 12 months ago, he said: "It was probably one of the toughest moments in my career. I'm lucky, I have a great team around me who support me."
Berdych paid tribute to his opponent, who has now won 14 straight matches at the All England Club, and vowed to be back after finally living up to his potential.
The Czech said: "It was a great two weeks for me but he was really strong today. He has showed in the last few months that he is really the champion and he deserves to win today.
"It gives me a lot of confidence and power to be stronger for next time and who knows what's going to happen for the next years."