Sunday 7 July 2013

Wimbledon 2013: Andy Murray Wimbledon Champion!

Finally! The wait is over. A British man has won the Wimbledon title.

For much of my tennis watching life the very idea was laughable. Then there was a glimmer of hope, firstly with Tim Henman and then with Andy Murray's emergence.

The difference with Murray, was that this hope turned into genuine expectation as we realised he was a serious world class player.

Despite his obvious talent, all the years of failure and disappointment meant nobody could believe with 100% conviction that this day would arrive. Well it has and it was fully deserved by Murray.

His success reminds me a little of last year's Olympic hero Mo Farah. Like Farah, Murray was already a supremely talented and gifted athlete - but he wasn't good enough to beat the very best in the world when it mattered. He had to improve.

Being ranked 3 or 4 in the world wasn't going to be enough to win majors. The likes of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic have set the standard so high in mens tennis that he had to go away and improve his game further.

This is what I admire about Murray, the willingness and desire to push himself further to achieve his goals.

By taking on Ivan Lendl as his coach and through shear hard work and dedication he's now stepped up to that next level which has resulted in him winning the US Open and now Wimbledon.

It might still feel like a shock, a Brit winning Wimbledon. But take away Murray's nationality, look at things purely from a tennis perspective - he should be winning Wimbledon titles because he's simply that good.

I think the stage is set now for Murray to go on and win more majors including more Wimbledon titles in the next few years.

After today's result I'm just thinking about future Wimbledons. What's the story going to be now that our wait for a British winner is over?

Watching Wimbledon will never be the same again.


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