Remembering Andy Murray’s maiden Wimbledon title 10 years on
Remember when Andy Murray ended Great Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion at Wimbledon? It’s 10 years today since that unforgettable Sunday when he defeated old foe Novak Djokovic.
The year before had ended with Murray choked by tears on Centre Court following defeat by Roger Federer in his first final.
But just 12 months later, and with a long-awaited first Grand Slam title under his belt in New York, the Scot faced another of his major tormentors with history at his fingertips.
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A week before Wimbledon, Murray claimed his third Queen’s Club title by beating Marin Cilic before he finally laid to rest Britain’s 77-year wait for a men’s singles champion.
The history books show Murray defeated Djokovic in straight sets, 6-4 7-5 6-4, yet even when he served for the match in a tortuous game that somehow encapsulated all his struggles, it still felt on a knife edge.
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In a match dominated by lengthy baseline rallies, the Scot let three championship points slip away in a nerve-shredding last game.
On the fourth opportunity, Djokovic slapped a weak backhand return into the net and the celebrations – mixed with plenty of relief – could finally begin.
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The Scot broke down in tears of joy as he claimed the title that had eluded him for so long as a wave of celebration reverberated across the country.
Image: The Scot became the first British player to win the Wimbledon men's singles title for 77 years
In the players’ box, his mother Judy Murray wept freely while his girlfriend Kim Sears appeared to fight back tears as the British No 1 kissed his well-earned trophy. Fred Perry had been the last British men’s singles winner at Wimbledon in 1936.
The reaction from Murray was of sheer wide-eyed joy mixed with disbelief before the enormity of it all caught up with him.
“I remember it being unbelievably stressful and then at the end of it huge relief,” he says of the victory.
“After the match I was exhausted. Twenty or 30 minutes after we got off the court, I was sitting with my wife and I was wanting to sleep. That is not usually how you feel after a match, normally the adrenaline makes it hard to sleep but I was completely spent after the match.”
Image: Murray fell to the hallowed Wimbledon turf after beating Djokovic in a marathon final
Murray admits being “unbelievably nervous before the final” and felt his team were “really nervous” as well.
“They were struggling to hide it,” revealed the Scot. “My physical trainer, when we were doing the pre-match warm-up, he was fumbling all of the balls during the reaction drills.”
Even ‘Old Stone Face’ Ivan Lendl, the coach who had helped turn Murray into a Grand Slam champion, was not immune to the tension.
“Ivan doesn’t usually talk loads but before the final he was chatting a lot and I just felt my team were feeling it as well,” adds Murray.
Image: It's been ten years since Murray's memorable victory over Djokovic to win his first Wimbledon
For his opponent, the memories are of course very different, although Djokovic could find happiness amid his disappointment for the rival just a week older than him against whom he had been competing since childhood.
“It was not a great result for me obviously in the end, painful to lose a Grand Slam final, especially the Wimbledon final,” says Djokovic.
“But I was happy for Andy because he deserved it. He was working so hard to get his hands on the Wimbledon title.
“I had to congratulate him because he was a better player that day and it was kind of a perfect scenario for Great Britain and for him as a British player to win at Wimbledon on Centre Court.”
Image: Murray celebrated his win in front of his adoring fans at the All England Club
The experience was not at all the same for Murray’s brother Jamie, who was notably absent among the family and friends supporting the Scot courtside.
“I watched the final on a laptop in Stuttgart with my wife,” says the doubles specialist, who had already moved on to his next tournament.
“Of course it would have been great to be there to see him win but reality was it definitely wasn’t a sure thing. He was playing Novak, he’d lost a bunch of finals to that point.
“I was just glad that he won. I didn’t really care that I missed it. Obviously it was a weird situation to find yourself watching the match. The stream wasn’t even particularly great.
“I know what it meant to him to finally get his hands on the trophy. I don’t even remember what it was like when I saw him. Everything had kind of died down by then. It was a bit lame but that’s just the way it was.”
Image: Djokovic admitted being 'happy' for Murray
The Wimbledon victory cemented Murray’s place as one of Britain’s sporting greats, and he followed it up three years later with a second title.
Jamie does not believe achieving his biggest goal changed his brother, saying: “He was still incredibly motivated to do the best he could on the court and try to win more grand slams, that his talent probably deserved.
“That was an amazing moment in tennis where these four guys were playing in the semis and finals of every big tournament.
“They hoovered up everything for so long. I know Andy only won three but he played in 11 Grand Slam finals, which is a crazy career when you think about it.”
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Murray won the Wimbledon crown again in 2016, beating Canadian Milos Raonic and giving him a third Grand Slam title following his 2012 US Open success.
Sourse: skysports.com