By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
On the seventh day of the seventh month, the 77-year drought of a British men’s singles champion at Wimbledon ended.
Andy Murray achieved what many thought at one time was an almost laughable concept – a British-born men’s champion at Wimbledon.
His 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 final-round victory over Novak Djokovic in three hours and nine minutes wiped away decades of British disappointment since Fred Perry was the last British male to win the Wimbledon singles title on July 3, 1936.
The victory comes one year after Murray was the first British man to win to reach a Wimbledon final in 74 years, when he lost an emotional final to Roger Federer, where the Scotsman famously broke down and cried on-court in disappointment when interviewed by Sue Barker of the BBC. Murray, however, redeemed himself by winning the Olympic gold medal over Federer on the very same Wimbledon Centre Court at the London Olympics just four weeks later. He then became the first British man in 76 years to win a major title when he won the U.S. Open in New York in September.
Entering the Wimbledon final against Djokovic, who he beat to win the U.S. Open and also on the very Centre Court he beat him at in the Olympic semifinals, Murray seemed poised and calm to fulfill his destiny. “The sense is, that I get, is that he feels he should win today” said Patrick McEnroe on ESPN of Murray, stating that Murray was merely “hoping” last year that he would beat the six-time Wimbledon champion Federer.
Murray’s grit and determination to win the title was showcased in coming back from a 1-4 deficit in the second set and a 2-4 deficit in the third set. In the third set, Murray broke Djokovic in the opening game and took a 2-0 lead as many felt like he already had one hand on the trophy, even more so when Murray held an 0-30 advantage on Djokovic’s serve in the third game, staring a double service break cushion. But Djokovic continued to fight and held serve en route to winning four straight games to take a 4-2 lead, Murray showing signs of mental and physical fatigue. Murray steadied himself and broke Djokovic back, held for 4-4, then broke Djokovic again to set up one of the most dramatic games in Wimbledon history as he served for the title at 5-4.
With the pressure of exorcising over seven decades his country’s tennis frustrations, stress and failures on his shoulders, Murray quickly jumped to 40-0, holding three championship points. However, as the ESPN commentators went appropriately quiet on the verge of such an historic occasion, Djokovic fought off all three match points, conjuring thoughts of his match-point turnarounds against Federer in the 2010 and 2011 US Open semifinals, as Murray began to tighten up. Djokovic then won his fourth point in a row as Murray netted a tentative forehand to stare a break point that would completely change the complexion of the match. Murray moved the score back to deuce with a strong first serve that Djokovic hit long. Djokovic then stabbed Murray with an emotional dart by winning the next point with a net-cord winner to secure a second break point. Murray then held his nerve and after a long baseline rally, curled a forehand cross-court winner to bring the score back to deuce. Djokovic then gained a third break-point opportunity to bring the score level to 5-5 once again when he retrieved a Murray drop shot and, from his shoelaces, dipped a forehand cross court at an extreme angle for a winner, described as “one the great shots you will see at that stage” by John McEnroe on ESPN. An aggressive forehand followed by a backhand volley winner again saved the game again for Murray as the players moved to deuce for a fourth time. Djokovic then failed to put an overhead away – a weakness that has hurt him in the past – and Murray gained his fourth match point when he chased down a drop shot and hit a forehand that Djokovic was unable to handle. Murray, exhausted more mentally than physically, then closed out the title when Djokovic netted a backhand into the net.
Murray told Tom Rinaldi on ESPN the last game of the match was “probably the hardest few points I have had to play in my life.”
In the on-court post-match presentation, the BBC’s Sue Barker asked Andy how he held on for the last game, saying that it was “torturous to watch” and Murray quipped “Imagine playing it?”
“This is a great moment for Great Britain and for our sport,” said John McEnroe on ESPN. “This guy deserves it.”
