Finally, It’s Murray!

by Sampad Sengupta

Andy Murray wins the US Open
(source: NY Daily News)

Seven years since turning pro and five Grand Slam finals later, Andy Murray wins his first Grand Slam title in fine style after beating Serbian Novak Djokovic to clinch the US Open crown in what ended up being a thrilling five-set encounter. Murray, cheered on by fellow Scots Sean Connery and Sir Alex Ferguson, came out on top in a match that lasted nearly five hours to win his second major tournament in two months after winning gold in the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Murray had quite a challenging road to the final, having to go through difficult opponents like Marin Cilic and Tomas Berdych, coming back from a set down in both games. However, this only helped him in gaining confidence which was evident in the final. Despite reaching Grand Slam finals on four previous occasions, he ended up second best each time, losing thrice to Roger Federer and once to Novak Djokovic, but this time around it was not the case. Djokovic, arguably one of the best players around, had an extraordinary year in 2011 and has had decent result this year too. He went into the final as the number 2 ranked player in the world at the moment and was clearly a favourite. However, experts did not rule out the possible victory for Murray, currently ranked 3 in the ATP rankings, especially after the great year he’s had.  Murray was heartbroken after his loss in this year’s Wimbledon final to Roger Federer, which was evident in his tearful post-match presentation speech. It is never easy to come so close to the end on so many occasions and still not be able to cross the finish line. It takes great mental strength and self-belief to come back and fight for supremacy and that is exactly what the Glasgow-born 25 year old has done, two of the major aspects of his game being his cool temperament and determination.

This US Open final has probably been Murray’s best performance. The match started on a sedate note, gradually gaining momentum, and the first set ended with Murray winning 7-6 (12-10) in the tie break. He went on to win the next set as well but then succumbed to some superb tennis from Novak Djokovic, who clinched the third and fourth sets 6-2, 6-3 respectively. You would expect Djokovic to carry on with the momentum and seal the match but Murray showed his class once again, winning the final set 6-2 to become the first Brit to win a major tournament since Fred Perry in 1936.

Murray has been one of the highlights of an exceptional summer for British sport and is definitely a huge source of inspiration for members of younger generations like us, especially budding tennis players. With many more tournaments to come in future we’ll surely see many more trophies coming Britain’s way, courtesy of Andy Murray.