Champion At Last

There were times when we thought it would never happen, three years of semi final heartbreak followed by a final which agonised a nation, it was always a case of oh so close, but at last we can finally say Andy Murray Wimbledon Champion.

It was the final that most people wished for, the world number one against the world number two, Murray versus Djokovic had the makings of a classic which seemed impossible to call.

Andy Murray finally gets his hands on the Wimbledon trophy 

However not only did Murray beat the best player in the world to claim his maiden Wimbledon title, he also completely outplayed him and although the usually resilient Serb tried everything to prolong the contest he just couldn’t match the magnificence of the Murray.

It was a match where momentum continuously shifted from one side of the net to the other, but at the crucial times it was always Murray who seized it striving to a 6-4 7-5 6-4 victory in a gruelling 3 hours and 9 minutes. What a difference from his fortunes twelve months ago.

Although Murray’s experience of last year’s final may not have given him much to smile about back then, there’s no doubt that the occasion helped propel him to an Olympic gold medal, a US Open title and at last his treasured Wimbledon crown.    

We have also seen a more open and at times emotional side to the usually reserved Brit, who since his triumphs has showed the public a greater side to his personality which has certainly earned him a lot of fans.

    

Murray’s eyes had been firmly set on capturing his first Wimbledon title ever since missing the French Open back in June. From his impressive comeback victory at the Aegon Championships three weeks ago all the way up to the climax of this fortnight the Brit has showed plenty of heart and passion as he has looked more determined than ever to get his hands on the famous trophy.

In their four precious Grand Slam meetings Djokovic had been victorious in three of them; however Murray had been successful when the pair met at last year’s US Open where the Brit achieved his first Slam title. While their only meeting on grass had come at last summer’s Olympics which Murray won in straight sets.

The nation believed. There was hope and expectation that this was the year when Wimbledon celebrated its first British male singles Champion since Fred Perry in 1936, that 77 years of waiting didn’t become 78.Centre Court roared, Henman Hill was packed and at home many watched in anticipation, it was all down to Murray to deliver.

If there were any nerves lurching in the players stomachs before the match, it was Djokovic who was affected most. The Serb was forced to save three break points from the word go, before Murray finally clinched a break in a marathon third game which lasted 20 minutes, as the Brit finally took his seventh break point to lead 2-1.

However the buoyant celebrations were abruptly silenced as Djokovic quickly broke back in the following game. The rallies became exhausting even to watch; continuously exceeding 20 sometimes even 30 shots in the sweltering heat, even for the games two fittest athletes the challenge was bound to take its toll. 

With temperatures close to 30 degrees it was Murray who kept his cool, he once again took advantage of some surprising errors from the world number one who was still hunting for his A-game.

Murray nearly made the same mistake of handing his earned break straight back. When serving into the sun he served two double faults and faced two more break points. However once he held, the set never looked in doubt as he emphatically served it out to love after a draining hour of tennis.

But there is one thing guaranteed when you take on the heart and passion of Djokovic and that is he never goes away, that’s why he’s world number one. It took until the second set for the Serb to at last stamp some authority on the match, as he started to dictate some brutal rallies breaking Murray to lead 4-1.   

At that point Murray could have let the momentum swing further away from him, but instead he fearlessly wrestled it back. He was agonisingly denied two break back points when trailing 4-2, however rather than feeling sorry for himself he willingly kept on fighting and was handed his reward when Djokovic double faulted to surrender his lead.

With the set in the balance at 5-5 any sort of slip up would prove costly, and it was Djokovic who blinked. With no challenges remaining the Serb let a tight line call get under his skin, which sparked a frustrated reaction towards umpire Mohamed Lahyani.  

Murray recognised his opportunity, and swiftly took advantage of the Serbs meltdown. After finishing the job of breaking the Djokovic serve he once again held to love, capping it off with an ace to put him only one set away.

The Brit continued to sense that his opponent was vulnerable, as Murray moved in for the kill breaking Djokovic in the opening game of the third set.

There was always likely to be some sort of Djokovic fight back, but the question was how late would he leave it? And would Murray allow it to happen?

Both were quickly answered, from 0-30 on the Djokovic serve Murray missed the chance to claim a 3-0 lead and a double break, minutes later the Serb wasn’t so hesitant when he was presented with a similar opening.

From leading 2-0 with a break, Murray’s third set suddenly turned sour. He lost his rhythm on serve and for the first time in the match his racket was littering errors, as the momentum steered back towards Djokovic who twice broke the Murray serve. It was now 4-2 in the Serbs favour.

But just when we thought the Murray charge was finally showing signs of faltering, we were proved wrong again. It was then the Brit’s turn to spin the set on its head breaking back to 4-4 before striking his biggest blow yet.

He simple chased down every ball to once more break the Djokovic serve and resistance to put himself only one service game away from the title.

40-0 up, three Championships points, but it could never be that easy. They all went pleading, as Djokovic launched his last attack which resulted in ten minutes of torture for everyone involved. Four deuces’s past, but at last Britain’s 77 years of wait went crashing into the net along with Djokovic’s final backhand. Murray was the Champion.

 “It was an unbelievably long match with some extremely long games; I don’t know how I managed to come through that final game”

“I’ve played Novak many times and I think when the game is finished he will go down as one of the biggest fighters, he’s come back so many times from losing positions and he almost did the same today”     

So to a tournament that has certainly provided us with plenty of drama and excitement over the past fortnight. But at last it has final brought British tennis it’s greatest day yet, ending a 77 year wait for a male Champion.

Wimbledon 2013 - it hasn't been bad has it?