Andy Murray wins Wimbledon, becomes first British man in 77 years to do so
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It's a day of triumph in Great Britain.
No. 2-ranked Andy Murray defeated top-ranked rival Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to win Wimbledon, ending a 77-year streak of defeat for the UK.
Murray, 26, is the first British man to win Wimbledon since Fred Perry won the last of three consecutive titles in 1936.
"I understand how much everyone wanted to see a British winner at Wimbledon so I hope you enjoyed it," said the Scotland native after the match. "I tried my best."
Credit: Susan Mullane / USA TODAY Sports
Murray's historic victory comes one year after his heartbreaking loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final. Murray took his defeat in stride, and came back to the All England Club to capture his second Grand Slam title following last year's U.S. Open, where he defeated Serbia's Djokovic in five sets. In addition, Murray took home last year's Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon, bringing his undefeated streak on grass to a whopping 18-0.
The Wimbledon finals marked Murray and Djokovic's fourth major meeting, and their third in less than a year. Both men were very familiar with the strategies their rival would employ, which made for a heated contest.
"He was better on the decisive points," Djokovic said of his rival. "He was all over the court."
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Djokovic came into the finals following a record-setting semifinal against Juan Martin del Potro, which lasted a grueling 4-hours and 43-minutes.
"It took a lot out of me but I cannot look for excuses in the match two days ago," said Djokovic. "It went five hours and five sets but I've been in these situations before. I felt OK."
However, Djokovic's performance, at times, suggested otherwise. The Serbian pro seemed disjointed at points throughout the match, muttering to himself and arguing with chair umpire Mohamed Lahyani over what Djokovic perceived to be close calls favoring Murray. Ultimately, Djokovic finished with 31 winners and 40 unforced errors, which is uncommon for a six-time major champion at his level. Murray, meanwhile, landed with 36 winners and 21 unforced errors.
Credit: Susan Mullane / USA TODAY Sports
Throughout the match, Murray appeared to feed off the energy of the nearly 15,000 fans in attendance at the sold-out Centre Court, in addition to thousands more watching on the big screen from the grounds. Murray, who skipped the French Open with a bad back, rallied back from a 1-4 deficit in the second set to put Djokovic in jeopardy. By the final set, Murray, within shooting distance of victory, attempted to serve it out at 5-4.
He needed four match points to secure the win.
"I can't believe I managed to do it ... that last game very challenging," Murray said. "Probably hardest points I've had to play in my life."
Credit: Susan Mullane / USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Susan Mullane / USA TODAY Sports
Upon victory, Murray was overcome with emotion. He raced into his player's box not only to hug his mother, but to embrace coach Ivan Lendl.
"This one is especially for Lendl as well because he did everything to try to win this one so I hope he enjoyed it," said Murray.
Credit: Susan Mullane / USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Susan Mullane / USA TODAY Sports
In addition to the coveted trophy, Murray earned 1.6 million pounds ($2.4 million) along with an invitation to the black-tie champion's dinner, set for later tonight.
Murray's victory has already drawn celebratory praise from the very top of British society.
British prime minister David Cameron tweeted, "It was a privilege to watch @Andy_Murray making history at #Wimbledon, and making Britain proud," tweeted
Even royalty took notice.
"I can confirm," a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said, "that the Queen has sent a private message to Andy Murray following his Wimbledon victory."
Whether Murray is able to repeat the feat next year or not, this will be a day long-remembered in British sporting history.
Via: USA Today