A Complete Murray Performance Sees Off Djokovic To Claim FirstWimbledon Title

From the sublimity of a straight sets victory over the world's best player to the ridiculousness of Alex Salmond's horrendous judgment of time and place, every superlative for Andy Murray's Wimbledon victory has been uttered over the last 24 hours.

The first Brit in 77 years, first Scot in over 110, Andy Murray's win is historic and doesn't deserve to be the subject of political oneupmanship, no matter what side of that particular debate you reside.

Talk of knighthoods, a notion that doesn't sit too well with Murray thankfully, however seems premature. I'm not necessarily against this form of recognition, but when it comes to sports stars, it seems odd to bestow an athlete with that high an accolade while their career has many years yet to run. It somehow slightly undermines any future success they may have, and it's generally recognised that at 26 Andy Murray has a good few career highlights yet to achieve.

That said, Murray's achievement in SW19 can't really be underestimated. In an era of tennis that has seen unprecedented domination by not one, not two but three of the best ever players over the last decade, Murray's resilience and determination to keep plugging away has been so admirable, anyone from any sporting background can appreciate his successes over the last year.

It has been a career year, a breakthrough for Murray following 2012's defeat in London, and the culmination of many years of hard work. And its exactly that which impresses me most. I'll confess, I'm an admirer of athletic prowess and any sportsman or woman that pushes themselves and dedicates their lives to be the best, and the last 4 or 5 years have seen Murray change a lot, especially physically. A move to Miami for winter training in each of those years has seen him get bigger, stronger and faster. Andy Murray is a real athlete.

Andy Murray's physicality saw him claim victory in the toughest of conditions

The BBC coverage revealed a statistic after the 3rd set in his quarter final 5 set win over Verdasco that Murray had covered over 2600m. That's over half a mile per set, covering the court in hundreds of short bursts. The requirement to sprint so often, change direction so quickly and to lunge and strike the ball over a match that can last 3, 4 or even 5 hours demands a huge and unique form of fitness. As all round athletic prowess goes, Murray must be close to being one of the fittest professional athletes in the UK.

Match all that physicality with the technical demands and speed of thought demanded by the likes of Novak Djokovic firing back balls as quickly as any player can, and Murray's achievements are all the more impressive. There was a lot of talk about the heat and the brutal conditions during yesterday's final - the referee's office were reporting court side temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius - and it reminded us all of Murray's comments after a win in the Miami Masters last year where he said it wasn't the physicality he struggled with in the heat, it's the decision making process. When you take that and see how he came back mid way through the second set from 4-1 down in those conditions, you can start to see how far he has come as the complete player.

Already many thoughts amongst the media fallout have turned to what he can achieve next. The answer, simply, is whatever he chooses.  At 26, he has half a dozen good years at least left in him. With realistic shots at 3 of the 4 grand slam events (the demands of the French Open clay don't really suit his style of play), there is no reason to think he can't bag at least one grand slam title in each of those years. 

7, 8, 9 grand slam titles? It seems hard to even imagine it, but given the events of the last year, who are we to doubt the possibility? Then we can start talking knighthoods.

Murray Misses Out As Federer Claims Seventh Title

by Dugald Skene

Andy Murray yesterday failed to claim his first Grand Slam win at Wimbledon, but gained many more fans as his first set assault on Roger Federer and his emotional speech at the match conclusion won him both respect and admiration in equal measure.

There is a lot that can be taken from this defeat, not least that he made the final at all, the first time for a Briton in 74 years and that he managed to claim a set for the first time in his 4 grand slam finals.  As he said himself after the match, “I’m getting closer”.

But it was Roger Federer who fulfilled what most people saw as the inevitable outcome, claiming his record equalling 7^th Wimbledon crown, and first since 2009, and 17^th overall grand slam singles title, extending his all time record.

Murray loses to Federer in Wimbledon Final

The match itself was a tense affair.  Andy Murray declared his intent immediately by breaking Federer in the first game and consolidating it with a confident first service game.  Roger seemed all at sea at times, racking up as many unforced errors in the first set alone that we would expect in an entire match.

Despite being broken back, Murray claimed the final game by once again taking Federer’s serve and claiming the first set 6-4.  It was hard fought, particularly on Murray’s service game where he spent an average of over 6 minutes serving to his opponent, saving multiple break points in the process.

First blood to Murray.

The second always looked to be leaning towards Murray as both players held serve for the first 11 games with Murray in particular settling into his game well, spending less time on his service game and taking Federer to deuce and facing break points far more regularly.  But in a cruel twist, Murray was broken in the 12^th game, with two sublime points from the Swiss that saw him claim the second set.  Not undeserved, but certainly against the run of play.

Play hadn’t made it to the end of the 3^rd game of the 3^rd set when the heavens opened and play was suspended, forcing the players out for 45 minutes as the roof was closed and the court reset.  Had the rain started to fall half an hour earlier, it would have been considered harsh on Murray who certainly held the momentum in the match, but following the disappointment of the second set, it may have been a blessing.

Upon their return, there was certainly a change in the match.  Federer, who could perhaps have considered himself fortunate to be level in sets, had clearly used the break well and came out all guns blazing, playing shots that deserve to be put in storage and on display for all time.  His sublime single handed backhand was graceful, and deceptively powerful at times, sending Murray slipping and sliding all over the court, landing heavily at one point and clutching his hamstring at another.  If Murray had Federer doing all the running in the first two sets, it was Murray covering the yards in the third and into the fourth.

Federer went on to claim the set to go 2-1 up, winning it 6-3.  There was a certain sense of inevitability in the reconditioned air under the roof on centre court, and it didn’t look favourable for Murray.

However, as we’ve come to expect from him, he didn’t make it easy for the 6 time champion, playing the sort of tennis that on another day or another era, would have surely helped him clinch the title.  Federer’s game just got better though, and he pushed Murray on every service game, often returning to deuce on at least 5 or 6 occasions in each game.  Murray held on as long as he could but finally succumbed to Federer’s seemingly perpetual class as he claimed the fourth and final set 6-4.

Murray will rue the chances he had, particularly in the second set, to break Federer when the Swiss was relatively under par.  He’ll also be kicking himself if and when he chooses to watch the game back at the number of games he struggled to kill off after being 40-0 or 40-15 up.  As much as Federer made it hard for him, he also struggled, particularly on his first serve in the second half of the match.

He is getting closer, of that there is no doubt and as many have said, most notably Andre Agassi of late, if Murray existed in another era of tennis, he would be comfortably winning his fair share of grand slam titles.  He still has time on his side.  At 25, he has 5 years on Roger Federer, he’s a year younger than Nadal and the same age as Djokovic.   

He also has Ivan Lendl in his corner, who must see Murray’s record in grand slams starting to mirror his own.  After 4 grand slam final defeats, he went on to win 8, his first against John McEnroe.  He knows what it takes to win in an era of greats and after multiple disappointments.  He strikes me as the perfect role model for Murray.

The season isn’t over, and Murray can now look forward to the Olympics and then the US open on his favoured hard court surface.  He should walk away from Wimbledon with great hope after breaking a 7 decade stigma in British men’s tennis.  With one monkey off his back, he can continue to strive for the biggest prize of all – that grand slam title.

Ruthless Rosol Ousts Nervy Nadal

by Dugald Skene

You could argue that Nadal was under par in his first round match at Wimbledon this year, but it was simply put down to an early grass season blip. A set lost, sure, but nobody realistically saw this as a genuine sign of things to come.

And then came Lukas Rosol.

The Czech and world ranked 100th player, Rosol produced the perfect game last night as he didn't just capitalise on a below par Nadal, but blew the second seed out of centre court with a phenomenal display of power, pace and precision.

Standing taller: Rosol after beating No.2 seed Nadal

Tied at 2 sets each, the match was suspended due to poor light as the players retreated to the locker room as the new roof was closed over. Having won the 4th set 6-2, the momentum at that point was well in favour of the Spaniard, who will no doubt have been frustrated with the break.

Instead, it provided an opportune few moments for Rosol to compose and reset. What happened after the resumption of play, nobody would have predicted.

With Nadal serving first, an undoubted advantage, Rosol used his brilliant forehand return to break, immediately turning the advantage in his favour. From then on, there was no stopping him, and the final set stats tell the story: 20 winners, 1 point conceded in final three service games, 3 aces and a winner to see out the match winning game.

He just didn't slow down, averaging 19 seconds between points compared to Nadal's 26, upsetting Nadal's tempo and refusing to let the Spaniard settle into any kind of rhythm. His shot selection and execution was of a man who had been winning on grass all his career. In actual fact, this was only his second win on grass and only his 18th tour victory ever. In his previous 5 attempts, Rosol had never even made it past the first qualifying round for Wimbledon.

But perhaps the most impressive factor was the complete lack of any apparent nerves from the Czech. His almost robotic, emotionless style was unrelenting, leaving Nadal little chance in most rallies.

Perhaps the biggest shock at Wimbledon in a decade, Rosol has certainly restored faith in the underdog.

Speaking of which, Andy Murray will be smiling quietly somewhere as he has seen his biggest rival in his side of the draw fall by the wayside. The Scotsman has never managed to beat two of the 'big 3' in consecutive matches in a Grand Slam, and with Nadal now eliminated, he won't have to. There are still plenty of potential banana skins before we start talking finals though, not least Frenchman Joe Wilfred Tsonga and who knows, a showdown with Rosol himself.

A great night for Wimbledon, a great night for tennis. Congratulations Lukas Rosol.

As for Nadal, he has now gone almost 2 years since last winning a tour event on anything but clay. Visibly distraught by the loss, he still took time to sign autographs as he trudged off court for another year. He's still a fans favourite and he will be back, of that there is no doubt.