Andy Murray gave Britain new hope at Wimbledon 2016
From commoners to royalty and glitterati to tennis pundits, the packed Centre Court soaked in the atmosphere as Andy Murray shone under bright sunlight to blow out Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 7-6 (7/2) to win his second men's singles title at The Championships.
Emotions were high for all those seated in the arena and Murray could be pardoned for shedding tears just after winning as the pressure had reached a crescendo.
As Raonic shoved in one more backhand error to lose the two-hour-and-48-minute final, unshaven Murray wept like a child winning his first trophy.
This was not Murray's first grip on the gentlemen's singles title at Wimbledon, but this meant a lot more having lost three Major finals after his first title in 2013.
Murray looked at his box where his family, friends and coaches were seated. If there was one man who sat almost emotionless through the match it was none other than coach-cum-mentor Ivan Lendl, who himself never won the title at Wimbledon despite multiple efforts.
Murray thanked all after collecting his trophy and had a special reference for Lendl. "He is just lucky," said Murray, which made the former champion smile.
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| Canada's Milos Raonic in action during the men's singles final against UK's Andy Murray at Wimbledon 2016. (Reuters) |
With outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron also in the special seating arena, Murray looked at him and said: "To have the prime minister watching... I think playing Wimbledon is tough but that seems an impossible job!"
Given the turmoil in Britain following Brexit, this was a day when sport brought joy back into the hearts of millions of Britons.
In the afternoon, Lewis Hamilton had won the Formula One Grand Prix in Silverstone and Murray topped it up by reclaiming the title.
The champion had his audience with the royalty as well when he meet Williams and Kate in the premises of the All England and Lawn Tennis Croquet Club. The couple had sat through the entire proceedings on Sunday.
The hype over the men's singles final was huge over the weekend. Having toppled Roger Federer in the semi-finals, people thought Raonic had a good chance to trouble Murray.
To Murray's credit, he played tennis which was so solid, only a miraculous effort from Raonic could have seen him make a fight of it.
On this day, the Canadian's game looked very one-sided as despite the huge serve, he was unable to get going. Murray had good answers to the giant serves as his return of serve, blunted whatever Raonic threw at him.
There were times when Raonic was consistently cranking up serves beyond 140 miles per hour but Murray had his racquet in place for smooth returns.
In terms of strategy, Raonic's game plan was not a complete one. His decision to stay back and also hit short strokes was fatal as Murray was teeing off on the backhand with bullet speed shots whizzing past Raonic.
The lone break in the first set came when Raonic buried a forehand volley into the net to trail 3-4. Having seized the break, Murray continued to press hard. He ensured the momentum would stay with him as he did not ease off the gas pedal.
As the match progressed, the crowd was on its toes. Shouts of "Come on Andy" and "Come on Murray" rent the air as the champion played with aggression which bordered on brilliance.
In the second set, with no player read to blink, Murray played a brilliant second set tie-break to win it 7-3. Once again, in the tie-break, Raonic was bereft of ideas and made too many mistakes.
As the afternoon slugfest continued, Murray kept focusing during the changeover. His facial contours reflected that hunger for winning the title and telling himself he had to just keep firing. Raonic had a chance in the second set when Murray faced a break point. No damage was done.
In the decider, Raonic's inexperience was very clear. Despite possessing a sonic serve, his shots off the ground were executed in a hurry. Perhaps, John McEnroe will have a word with his protégé once the dust settles down.
(Courtesy of Mail Today.)