Andy Murray has beaten Roger Federer to secure Great Britain's 16th gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics in a victory he described as: "the biggest win of my life."
The Scot won in straight sets 6-2 6-1 6-4 four weeks after he had uncontrollably cried on the same turf after losing to the Swiss in the SW19 final.
Murray has also become the first Briton to win the men's singles title in Olympics tennis since Josiah Ritchie in 1908. The venue? London. Romanticism blooms for the Brits.
Afterwards he told the BBC: "It's number one for me - it's the biggest win of my life."
Golden boy:Andy Murray shows off his Olympic winning medal at Wimbledon
Murray showed his emotions after winning an Olympic gold at Wimbledon
Murray kisses his girlfriend, Kim Sears, in a rare public show of happiness
His victory will also go some way to compensating for his third final loss to Federer in July and could now act as a turning point in his future Grand Slam hopes.
Afterwards Federer said he was "happy" for Murray because "he's had a tough few years".
The duo had faced one another 16 times before Sunday's Olympics final, with each man emerging victorious on eight occasions apiece prior to their second Wimbledon final in the space of a month.
Boasting 17 Grand Slam titles, 30-year-old Federer had however never competed in an Olympic final. Murray cited the even keel factor as a boost prior to the match, having only got as far as the second round at his first Games in Beijing four years ago.
Murray hadn't reached the first of his four Grand Slam finals then, though. Three of his four subsequent defeats at the US and Australian Open (twice) finals, as well as Wimbledon, had come at the hands of Federer.
Murray gave one of his most commanding performances
And the Scot's desire not to fall at the hand's of the Swiss was evident as he stormed through the first set, winning 6-2 and displaying the same momentum and surge he began the SW19 final with four weeks ago.
That recent experience stood Murray in good stead as he absorbed the fervent atmosphere. Although it was not a Grand Slam, the arena and intensity of the duo mimicked that of one of the four majors, with the set maximum elevated to five for the final occasion.
Murray caught Federer off guard when he broke his first service game in the second set, having already held serve. A marathon third game, in which Murray saved several break points, was ended when Federer hit long. The Scot now enjoyed a 3-0 cushion.
Federer flustered against the Scot
It got worse for the Swiss. Murray broke again and then held serve to extend his lead to 5-0, as the contest appeared in danger of becoming surprisingly one-sided.
Federer eventually won his first game of the second set, but it was merely a stay of execution. Murray held serve to go two-sets up, having lost just three games. Most tellingly, he had upgraded on his one-set final performance at this year's Wimbledon Championships.
Belatedly, the world number one began to exhibit his measured game. But only briefly. Federer held serve in his first two games, but so did Murray - who then broke Federer again, before commandingly hitting a love service game for a 4-2 deficit.
With Murray two games away from victory, Federer edgily reduced the deficit to one - saving two break points in the process. Murray held serve comfortably before the game's most successful men's player produced a love service game which was ultimately a fruitless glimpse of his ingenuity.
The interval arrived to intensify the nerves within the crowd. Murray, like his coach Ivan Lendl, remained stoic. Murray aced twice in succession. Two match points. Murray, serving for gold, won gold. With an ace.
He'll be going for gold again soon, as he pairs up with Laura Roberts for the mixed doubles final this evening. With the medal draped round his neck, even hearing God Save the Queen didn't dampen the Scot's joy. Because he sang it.
Two in a day?
