Nadal takes Wimbledon crown!

After perhaps the greatest match in Wimbledon's history, Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer's incredible era of dominance with a 6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7 victory that established the Spaniard as the game’s most dominant player.

Rafael Nadal held off an incredible fightback from Roger Federer to win his first Wimbledon title and end the Swiss star's reign at the All England Club.

The Spaniard missed two championship points in the fourth set but recovered to win a dramatic rain-interrupted match 6-4 6-4 6-7 (3-7) 6-7 (8-10) 9-7.

The final shot was struck in near darkness on Centre Court at 2115 BST.

Rafael Nadal today beat defending champion Roger Federer 6-4 6-4 6-7 (5/7) 6-7 (8/10) 9-7 in the longest Wimbledon final in history. 

Previously, Federer saved three championship points in a nerve-racking fourth set tiebreak, one with an amazing backhand pass, before taking it 10-8 on his second set point.

The Swiss world number one trailed 4-6 4-6 against the Spanish powerhouse but hung on grimly to win a third set tiebreak after an 81-minute rain break.

Fifth set: Federer 7-9 Nadal* Game, set and match Nadal! What a match; what a game. Perhaps struggling to control the new balls, Nadal sends a forehand long to go 0-15 down. Then a remarkable thing happens: Nadal follows his serve in for the first time in the match, and pounds away a winning volley. Another successful volley pulls him within two points of the match, but he then volleys long off an attempted pass that looks like it's going long. No matter: Federer hits a backhand wide to go match point down again. Incredibly, Federer stages one final act of defiance, firing a brilliant backhand to reach deuce. But a service winner brings up another match point, and this time the Spaniard makes no mistake: Federer's reign is over and he is the new champion.

Rafael Nadal ended Roger Federer's five-year reign as king of Wimbledon on Sunday with a 6-4 6-4 6-7 6-7 9-7 victory in one of the most dramatic finals seen at the All England Club.

The 22-year-old Nadal survived an incredible Federer fightback to become the first Spaniard to win the grasscourt grand slam since Manuel Santana in 1966. He is also the first man since Bjorn Borg in 1980 to win the French Open and Wimbledon in the same year.