With Wimbledon Win, Andy Murry Ends 77 Year Drought

07 Jul, 2013

From the lawns of Wimbledon to the lochs of Scotland, all of Britain can celebrate.

Andy Murray made it possible Sunday, winning his country’s hallowed tennis tournament to become the first British man in 77 years to raise the trophy at the All England Club.

Yes, this was history, and Murray’s 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over top-seeded Novak Djokovic was a fitting close to nearly eight decades of British frustration in its own backyard: A straight-setter, yes, but a hard-fought, 3-hour, 9-minute affair filled with long, punishing rallies and a final game that may have felt like another 77 years, with Murray squandering three match points before finally putting it away after four deuces.

Certainly, the endgame must have felt like torture to the 15,000 watching on Centre Court, the thousands more watching on a big-screen TV on the grounds and, of course, the millions of British watching on TV.

“Imagine playing it,” Murray said in his on-court interview.

But he closed it out on this cloudless, 80-degree day on tennis’ most famous court. He put his name beside that of Fred Perry, the last British man to win Wimbledon, back in 1936.

The second-seeded Murray beat the best in Djokovic – top-ranked and a six-time Grand Slam tournament winner known for both a mental and physical fitness built to handle what he faced Sunday.

Since falling to Roger Federer in the final last year, Murray had shed some baggage by winning the Olympic gold medal on Centre Court, then following that with his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.

The U.S. Open win ended a 76-year drought for the British in the Grand Slams.

In addition to the trophy, Murray earned 1.6 million pounds ($2.4 million) and got that long-awaited invitation to the black-tie champion’s dinner, set for later Sunday night.

“It was a privilege to watch (at)Andy-Murray making history at (hash)Wimbledon, and making Britain proud,” tweeted the Prime Minister.

Indeed, on this day, the hoorahs were coming from every corner of the kingdom.

“I can confirm,” a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said, “that the Queen has sent a private message to Andy Murray following his Wimbledon victory.”

AP

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