Roger Federer broke down in tears after winning his seventh Grand Slam title in the Australian Open.
The Swiss star was overcome with emotion after powering back from a set down to beat unseeded Cypriot Marcos Baghdatis in Melbourne.
The world No 1 was a prohibitive favourite but was made to battle hard before securing a 5-7, 7-5, 6-0, 6-2 over his 20-year-old opponent.
"After seeing he was struggling all of a sudden with the cramp in his calf muscle, I knew I was in very good shape, but I had to stay focused," said Federer, who maintained his unbeaten record in Grand Slam finals.
"So many things go through your head about the win already because you think, 'Well, now nothing can go wrong'.
"But as we saw, it was still quite a long way to the finish line. I was getting emotionally ready for that, which normally you shouldn't, but I can't block it out. I'm also just human.
"When I won I was so relieved that I got through it. I wasn't emotional in the first minute. It only came out later when I was standing there with Marcos waiting for the ceremony.
"I was very relaxed. Once I got up on stage, it all changed."
Baghdatis, the world No 54, dispatched three topten players on his way to the final, including recovering from 2-0 down to beat David Nalbandian in the semis, and said he would take a great deal from the experience.
"It was a great match," Baghdatis said. "I really played very well in the first two sets. I had my chances. I had a break in the second.
"I just started thinking, got a bit stressed out, stopped playing my game, made some mistakes, gave the chance to Roger to come in and play his game and be aggressive, and that cost the match, I think.
"I'm a bit unhappy but it's just after the match and I think it will take me one or two days to come back and smile again."
Both players began soundly, each holding their first two service games with ease.
Baghdatis took first blood with a break of Federer's third service game but a double fault allowed Federer to level. The unseeded Cypriot edged 6-5 ahead with a second break and held his nerve to serve out for the set after 43 minutes.
Baghdatis also started the second set in ideal fashion with a break of Federer's opening service game and had two more break points for a 3-0 lead.
However, Federer managed to avert the danger and broke straight back to level at 2-2 and went on to break in the 12th game to take it 7-5.
That proved to be the turning point of the match as the momentum swung in favour of the Wimbledon champion.
Federer began to tighten the screws early in the third set and stormed through it 6-0 in just 24 minutes.
The top seed then raced into a 3-0 lead in the fourth set, making it 11 games in a row.
Baghdatis won two games to avoid a second whitewash but was powerless to prevent Federer claim his seventh Grand Slam title, halfway to equalling the record 14 held by Pete Sampras.
Martina Hingis completed an impressive return to Grand Slam tennis by claiming the mixed doubles crown with Mahesh Bhupathi.
The resurgent Swiss, playing in the tournament for the first time since 2002 following an injury-ruined three years, and her Indian partner over-came the Canadian-Russian partnership of Daniel Nestor and Elena Likhovtseva 6-3, 6-3.
It was Hingis' tenth Grand Slam doubles title but the first since winning the Australian women's doubles with Anna Kournikova four years ago.
Hingis thanked doubles specialist Bhupathi, with whom she entered the competition as a wildcard, for taking a chance on her after her long lay-off.
"He had the courage to play with me," she said. "Thanks to other partners he had in the past, they didn't want to play. I'm like, 'Yeah'. I took the advantage.
"It's just been a pleasure. He's the man right now in mixed doubles and also in doubles, I think.
"Just next to him, it gives you so much satisfaction and security that you have to put the serve and returns in and he does the rest. So that's nice, you have someone to carry you all the way."
