Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic will be tough to shift now he's top of the world, says Barry Cowan.
King of Wimbledon is worthy world No 1, says Barry
Now he's top of the pile Novak Djokovic will take some shifting.
On present form I can't think of a more worthy World No 1 than the Wimbledon champion; his phenomenal 2011 truly is the stuff of dreams.
Sunday's 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 Centre Court victory over Rafael Nadal had a touch of everything; spells of incredible tennis from Djokovic, a comeback of brilliant intensity from Nadal, and a battle of courage and mental strength in the fourth set.
Fittingly Djokovic found a way to come through that challenge to claim his second Grand Slam crown of the year and fully justify his ranking as the best player on the globe.
Emphatic
Ahead of the final I felt both players had questions to answer.
How much had four straight defeats to Djokovic affected Nadal, and how would the Serb deal with the pressure that comes with playing in his first Wimbledon final?
Djokovic's answer was emphatic; he was a lot more aggressive from the start and as a result looked far more at ease than Nadal. The Spaniard didn't play his best tennis for the simple reason that his opponent didn't allow him to.
Djokovic's level of performance in the second set was astonishing; he blew his opponent away in the best set of tennis I've seen this year.
The Australian Open champion's composure was complete; he picked the right shot, moved superbly and disarmed Nadal by taking the ball on the rise, both on the forehand and on the backhand.
I had a suspicion Djokovic might blink in the third - that's only natural when a first Wimbledon title is within your reach. Nadal lifted his intensity and suddenly a five-setter looked a possibility.
Doubt had clearly crept into Djokovic's mind but the fact that he served first in the fourth set helped him settle; he was always ahead and eventually Nadal just broke.
Overall, the level was average in the fourth but the drama was electric.
Consistency
Djokovic deserves his triumph for the sheer consistency he has displayed throughout the season.
That is what separates the very best players from those a tier below. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga produced a stunning performance to defeat Roger Federer, but he isn't able to produce that level week in, week out.
These days there are very few fluctuations in Djokovic's game; oddly enough, there were probably more in the early rounds of Wimbledon than there have been throughout the rest of the year.
But he came through those sticky moments, firstly against Marcos Baghdatis and then against Bernard Tomic and Tsonga, to earn his just reward.
His state of mind might have been a little bit different if he had faced Federer or Andy Murray in the final, but that's the beauty of tennis.
While Nadal currently dislikes playing Djokovic, Federer would rather not face Nadal, but the Swiss still feels he is capable of beating Djokovic if he plays his best tennis.
It all makes for a highly competitive and entertaining era.
Fearless
Hopefully we can say the same of the women's game following Petra Kvitova's fearless display against Maria Sharapova in Saturday's Ladies final.
The eighth seed came out and played to her strengths rather than adopt a conservative game-plan and it paid off.
When you listen to her speak away from the court, it is hard to imagine the Czech is a player full of belief and swagger.
Sharapova gave her some difficult moments in the second set but Kvitova stuck to her guns and refused to fold.
Like Djokovic, she was a deserving winner and I think the way that she plays will lift the level of the women's game, if it hasn't done so already.
She hits the ball harder than the Williams sisters from the back of the court and it will be fascinating to see how she goes on from this.
I'm convinced she will win more Grand Slams because this wasn't just a lucky two weeks. The only caveat I would place on that is that the US Open may come too soon for her.
Her life has changed immeasurably over the last fortnight. She's gone from being a player who flies under the radar to one who will be on the main courts, someone who people will talk about as a Wimbledon champion. That brings an added pressure, particularly when you go through a bad spell.
I imagine she will need some time to adjust, a cooling off period; but if she does win the US Open, then she truly is a very special talent.
