Formidable Federer Keeps Murray Waiting

With the weight of a nation on his shoulders there was surely no greater burden in sport than the one carried by Andy Murray in his maiden Wimbledon final. But the matter is that Murray, ranked four in the world, is competing in an era containing three of the greatest players ever in tennis history including a certain Rodger Federer whose achievements of 4 Australian Open’s, 5 US Open’s a French Open and from today a 7^th Wimbledon title caps off without doubt the greatest career in the game.

Today the hype and anticipation of Murray being the first British man to reach the final since 1938 provided a brilliant atmosphere and optimism from the crowd around SW19 helping to produce a memorable final.

In a match where both players battled hard the class and experience of Federer at the key moments helped him recover from a set down him claim his 17^th Grand slam title with a score of 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 While for Murray his never ending wait for his first Slam continues after his fourth final defeat.    

   

A memorable final produced by quality tennis from both players

As the players emerged from the tunnel you couldn’t help remembering Murray’s slow starts in his previous slam finals. But to the disbelief of the crowd Federer was the first to blink, in a sloppy opening game by his standard giving an aggressive Murray an early break giving hope to the centre court fans.

However Federer has been in enough finals to know not to panic as he continuously read the Murray serve chipping it back deep to regain the service break. After not taking a set in his previous slam final Murray’s fight and determination was there for all to see as the Brit showed continued aggression in big moments on serve. Some uncharacteristic errors from his Swiss opponent handed Murray the chance to serve for the set which he didn’t pass up causing 15,000 people to rise from their seats.

Murray’s momentum advantage then continued in set two as Federer failed to capitalise on the Brit’s missed first serves. Murray’s aggressive play especially off the forehand wing continued to create chances forcing errors from Federer’s racket. However as four break points came and went for Murray, before Federer’s genius talent’s kicked in and a set at 6-5 which looked destined for a tie-break was quickly seized by the Swiss with an extraordinary back hand volley on set point.

As the dark clouds began to gather over centre court heavy rain forced the roof into action. And when the players resumed Federer, who is considered the greatest indoor player on the tour, was now the superior competitor.

The Swiss took advantage of Murray’s first serve dropping to 49% as he pounced in a marathon game five to seal the third sets only break. Murray took numerous heavy falls in the game nearly lasting twenty minutes which was finally taken on Federer’s sixth break point.

Murray gave his all throughout the match, but Federer had now re-found the form which saw him beat Novak Djokovic in Friday’s semi-final now making fewer errors than at the start. Murray’s tank looked empty as he was again broke in game five of the fourth set, with Federer now winning a majority of the base line exchanges.

The British number one had chances to claim break points back but Federer showed just why he had achieved so much in the sport as he claimed his first grand slam since the 2010 Australian Open. Murray’s tearful interview after the match showed just how much the game means to him while deserved winner Federer praised the Brits efforts saying “he will definitely win at least one Grand Slam”

The players will now turn their attention to the Olympic tournament in two weeks’ time with a unique opportunity to win a gold medal.