WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - When Novak Djokovic realized he was the Wimbledon champion, he fell to the ground and covered the grass like a blanket.

It was a fitting celebration for a man whose court coverage was the biggest reason he was able to defeat defending champion Rafael Nadal 6-4, 6-1, 1-6, 6-3 in Sunday's final.

Djokovic, who was already guaranteed to take over the No. 1 ranking from the Spaniard on Monday, won his first Wimbledon title and extended his mastery over Nadal this season with a fifth straight head-to-head victory.

After shaking hands with Nadal at the net, Djokovic walked back out on court and crouched down. He pulled a blade or two of grass out of the manicured lawn and put it in his mouth.

"I felt like an animal,'' said Djokovic, who won his first grass-court title. "I wanted to see how it tastes. It tastes good.''

More »

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- Rafael Nadal looked like a guy who absolutely couldn't wait to get out there, clutching his racket and hopping in place near the entrance to Centre Court before the Wimbledon final.

He jiggled his left leg, unable to sit still on the sideline. He even bopped around during the prematch coin toss. When it was finally time to start warming up, he zigzagged to the baseline in a full sprint.

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- For the first time in eight years, Roger Federer won't be striding onto Centre Court for the Wimbledon final.

The six-time champion was upset in the quarterfinals by big-hitting Tomas Berdych on Wednesday, stopping his bid for a record-tying seventh title at the All England Club and extending his recent stretch of disappointing play.

The 12th-seeded Berdych used his big serve and forehand to beat Federer 6-4, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4, on Centre Court for the biggest victory of the Czech's career.