Sports

Murray becomes 1st Brit to win Wimbledon in 77 years

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LONDON — Andy Murray needed one more point, one solitary point, to win Wimbledon — a title he yearned to earn for himself, of course, and also for his country.

Britain had endured 77 years since one of its own claimed the men’s trophy at the revered tournament referred to around here simply as The Championships, and now here was Murray, on the brink of triumph after three hours of grueling tennis against top-seeded Novak Djokovic under a vibrant sun at Centre Court.

Up 40-love, Murray failed to convert his first match point. And his second. And then, yes, his third, too. On and on the contest, and accompanying tension, stretched, Murray unable to close it, Djokovic unwilling to yield, the minutes certainly feeling like hours to those playing and those watching. Along came three break points for Djokovic, all erased. Finally, on Murray’s fourth chance to end it, Djokovic dumped a backhand into the net.

The final was over.

The wait was over.

A year after coming oh-so-close by losing in the title match at the All England Club, the No. 2-ranked Murray beat No. 1 Djokovic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 yesterday to become Wimbledon’s champion in a test of will and skill between a pair of men with mirror-image defensive styles that created lengthy points brimming with superb shot making.

“That last game will be the toughest game I’ll play in my career. Ever,” said Murray, who was born in Dunblane, Scotland, and is the first British man to win the grass-court Grand Slam tournament since Fred Perry in 1936. “Winning Wimbledon — I still can’t believe it. Can’t get my head around that. I can’t believe it.”

For several seasons, Murray was the outsider looking in, while Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic collected 30 out of 31 Grand Slam titles. But now Murray has turned the Big 3 into a Big 4, having reached the finals at the last four major tournaments he entered (he withdrew from the French Open in May because of a bad back). And he’s now a two-time Slam champion, having defeated Djokovic in five sets at the U.S. Open in September.

All this from a guy who lost his first four major finals, including against Federer at Wimbledon in 2012. After that defeat, Murray’s voice cracked and tears rolled as he told the crowd, “I’m getting closer.”

How prescient. Four weeks later, on the same court, he beat Federer for a gold medal at the London Olympics, a transformative victory if ever there were one. Murray’s mother, Judy, who is Britain’s Fed Cup captain, agreed the setback 12 months ago “was a turning point in some ways.”

“You need that self-belief in the important moments,” observed Djokovic, a six-time major champion, “and he’s got it now.”

“Every time you have a really tough loss, a loss that really hurts you,” Judy Murray said, “I think you learn a lot about how to handle the occasions better going forward.”

Murray trailed 4-1 in the second set, and 4-2 in the third, before wiggling his way back in front each time.

He won the last four games, breaking for a 5-4 lead when Djokovic flubbed a forehand, setting off a standing ovation from the 15,000 spectators. When he got out of his changeover chair, preparing to serve for the championship, an earsplitting roar accompanied his trek to the baseline.

Djokovic missed a backhand, Murray smacked a backhand winner and added a 131 mph service winner, and suddenly one point was all that remained between him and history. Any of Djokovic’s break points in the eternal, final game would have made it 5-all, and who knows what toll that would have taken on Murray’s mind?

“There’s a lot of things you’re thinking of at that moment,” Murray said.

The match continued for eight additional points.

It seemed to take an eternity.

“Just how that last game went, my head was kind of everywhere. I mean, some of the shots he came up with were unbelievable,” Murray said. “At the end of the match, I didn’t quite know what was going on. Just a lot of different emotions.”

But when match point No. 4 went Murray’s way, he dropped his racket, yanked his hat off and pumped both fists overhead, screaming, “Yes! Yes!”

Soon, Murray was climbing into the guest box for hugs with his girlfriend, his mother and his coach, Ivan Lendl, who won eight major titles as a player but never fared better than the runner-up at Wimbledon.

“I didn’t always feel it was going to happen,” Murray said. “It’s incredibly difficult to win these events. I don’t think that’s that well-understood sometimes. It takes so much hard work, mental toughness, to win these sort of tournaments.”

It took 77 years for a British man to win this prestigious tournament.

And Murray was the one to end the wait.