After 77 years, Murray broke Britain’s Wimbledon drought
Editor’s note: Tennis history is filled with wonderful rivalries, and so many are remembered because of matchups in Wimbledon finals. The Associated Press is republishing stories about a handful of such matches while the canceled grasscourt Grand Slam tournament was supposed to be played. One memorable rivalry involves Andy Murray against Novak Djokovic. One of their seven Grand Slam finals is known for ending a drought: Murray became the first British man in 77 years to win Wimbledon. The following story was sent July 7, 2013.
WIMBLEDON, England — Andy Murray needed one more point, one solitary point, to win Wimbledon — a title he yearned to earn for himself, of course, and also for his country.
Britain had endured 77 years since one of its own claimed the men’s trophy at the revered tournament referred to simply as The Championships, and now here was Murray, on the brink of triumph after three hours of grueling tennis against top-seeded Novak Djokovic under a vibrant sun at Centre Court.
Up 40-love, Murray failed to convert his first match point. And his second. And then his third, too. On and on the contest, and accompanying tension, stretched, Murray unable to close it, Djokovic unwilling to yield, the minutes certainly feeling like hours to those playing and those watching. Along came three break points for Djokovic, all erased. Finally, on Murray’s fourth chance to end it, Djokovic dumped a backhand into the net.
The final was over.
The wait was over.
A year after coming ohso-close by losing in the title match at the All England Club, the No. 2-ranked Murray beat No. 1 Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 Sunday to become Wimbledon’s champion in a test of will and skill between a pair of men with mirror-image defensive styles that created lengthy points brimming with superb shots.
“That last game will be the toughest game I’ll play in my career. Ever,” said Murray, who was born in Dunblane, Scotland, and is the first British man to win the grass-court Grand Slam tournament since Fred Perry in 1936. “Winning Wimbledon — I still can’t believe it. Can’t get my head around that. I can’t believe it.”
For several seasons, Murray was the outsider looking in, while Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic collected 29 out of 30 Grand Slam titles. But now Murray has clearly and completely turned the Big 3 into a Big 4, having reached the finals at the last four major tournaments he entered (he withdrew from the French Open in May because of a bad back). And he’s now a two-time Slam champion, having defeated Djokovic in five sets at the U.S. Open in September.
All this from a guy who lost his first four major finals, including against Federer at Wimbledon in 2012. After that defeat, Murray’s voice cracked and tears rolled as he told the crowd, “I’m getting closer.”
How prescient. Four weeks later, on the same court, he beat Federer for a gold medal at the London Olympics, a transformative victory if ever there was one. And 52 weeks later, on the same court, he beat Djokovic for the Wimbledon championship.
“You need that self-belief in the important moments,” observed Djokovic, a six-time major champion from Serbia, “and he’s got it now.”
Murray’s mother, Judy, who is Britain’s Fed Cup captain, agreed that the setback 12 months ago “was a turning point in some ways.”
“Every time you have a really tough loss, a loss that really hurts you,” she said, “I think you learn a lot about how to handle the occasions better going forward.”