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WIMBLEDON, England — As the rain gave way, if only briefly, to sunshine
and the Wimbledon men’s final approached, lovers, friends and families
took turns posing in front of the Fred Perry statue that is on display
outside Centre Court.
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Perry’s statue has been a photo opportunity for years at the All England
Club, but this was the day when Perry, the last British man to win the
singles title here in 1936, could finally get company in earnest: the
day when Andy Murray was about to play the final against Roger Federer.
A Murray victory Sunday would have been quite something — a national
moment, a thunderous start to London’s Olympic summer. But nobody in
tennis today does history as well as Federer, and though Murray played
brilliantly, even bravely, at times in this high-quality outdoor-indoor
final, Federer was the one who ended up falling to the grass with
milestones to savor.
Federer’s 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 victory gave him a seventh Wimbledon
singles title, which ties the men’s record shared by William Renshaw, a
Briton who played in the 19th century, and Pete Sampras, an American who
won his last title here in 2000.
Sunday’s victory also guaranteed that Federer, who will turn 31 next
month, would return to No. 1 on Monday and soon break another Sampras
record for total weeks atop the rankings.
This was also Federer’s 17th Grand Slam singles title, padding his lead
in the career men’s standings. But this victory, though not the most
significant or emotional of his career (the only tears on court this
time were Murray’s), was particularly reaffirming because it was his
first major title in more than two years at an age when tennis
superstars are usually past their primes.
“I mean there was so much on the line, so I didn’t try to think of the
world No. 1 ranking or the 7th or the 17th,” Federer said. “So I think
that’s going to actually, for a change, take much longer to sort of
understand, what I was able to achieve today. Yeah, it was crazy how it
all happened under the circumstances. Yeah, I played terrific.”
Federer last won a major title at the 2010 Australian Open. Though he
has continued to pile up titles on the regular circuit in
best-of-three-set events, Federer has been eclipsed at the Grand Slam
events in the last two years by rivals Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
But Wimbledon, the oldest of the Grand Slam events and the only one
played on grass, remains beautifully suited to Federer’s Swiss army
knife of a skill set: his speed and innate grace, his first-strike
instincts, his medley of options off his single-handed backhand, his
ability to improvise off a bad bounce or a mid-rally twist, and perhaps
his traditionalism, too.
A former junior hothead who has become a self-contained champion, he
enjoys the decorum. the dress code and the sense that Centre Court is as
much a theater as a stadium. Though he was upset in the quarterfinals
here the past two years, he has met with much more triumph than disaster
on the court where that phrase from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” is
posted above the players’ entrance.
“His fuel tank is amazing to me,” said Paul Annacone, his co-coach who
also coached Sampras when he won his seventh Wimbledon. “Roger loves his
sport. He loves to play, and he loves to travel. This is his life, so
hopefully he’ll just keep building.”
Federer won his first title here in 2003 and then reeled off four more
before Nadal stopped him in the gloaming in the epic 2008 final that is
rightly considered one of tennis’s finest matches. Federer won again in
2009, and this victory means he will tie Sampras’s record for 286 total
weeks at No. 1 next week and pass him the following week.
“As we know, the world No. 1, you don’t get those gifted; I was up two
sets to love in the quarters here last year and two sets to love up at
the U.S. Open,” Federer said, referring to his loss to Djokovic in the 2011 United States Open semifinals.
“So many chances if you like,” Federer said. “Maybe I got nervous, maybe
the other guys were just too good you know. I never stopped believing,
and I started playing more even though I have a family. I don’t know. It
all worked out. I got great momentum, got great confidence and it all
came together. It’s just a magical moment for me.”
Sunday’s final started outdoors but was stopped because of rain at 1-1
in the third set after 2 hours 2 minutes of play with Federer serving at
40-0. The decision was quickly made to close the retractable roof over
Centre Court, and when Federer and Murray resumed play 40 minutes later,
they were indoors — a first for a Wimbledon singles final.
Before the rain break, the level of play was, at times, phenomenal, with
extended rallies and a surplus of forced errors as Murray, one of the
fastest and most consistent men in the game, served big and pushed out
of his traditional comfort zone by going for more pace on his ground
strokes. All the while he forced Federer to hit extra shots and even
extra overheads from what would usually be winning positions.
But Murray, as good as he was early, could not grab a two-set lead as
Federer twice fought off break points on his serve in the second set and
then broke Murray at 4-5 with two master strokes in attack against the
wind. The first was a lunging forehand drop volley at 30-30 that
surprised Murray, who scrambled forward and knocked a lob long. The
second was a backhand drop volley winner at 30-40 to finish off a huge
rally and the set.
“It’s clear that was the key to the match,” Federer said. “I knew that
if I stayed aggressive I was going to have my chances, even if he
defends incredibly well.”
After the rain break, Federer, long the most successful indoor player in
the world, shifted to a higher gear without wind, sun or other
distractions. His forehand, in particular, was more penetrating, and the
match finally turned for good with Murray serving at 2-3 in the third
set.
Federer required 10 deuces and 6 break points to finish off the break,
as Murray lost a 40-love lead and ended up on the grass on three
different occasions: twice from slipping near the net and once from
diving to his right deep behind the baseline.
“When the roof closed, he played unbelievable tennis,” Murray said.
Tennis fans worldwide will surely miss Federer and his flowing game when
he retires, but Murray will surely miss him rather less. Murray, a
25-year-old Scot, has lost to Federer in three Grand Slam singles
finals: the 2008 United States Open, the 2010 Australian Open and now
Wimbledon. He has lost his first four major finals. The only other man
in the Open era to lose his first four major finals is Ivan Lendl, who
finished with eight major titles and has been coaching Murray since
December.
“He gave it all obviously; I thought that was apparent,” Lendl said of
Murray. “Roger played very well in important moments and served very
well, second serves as well. I thought it was a good show for
everybody.”
But it lacked Britain’s happy ending, and it was perfectly
understandable that Murray struggled to control his emotions as he
addressed the Centre Court crowd. Even if he had become the first
British man to reach the final since Henry Austin, known as Bunny, in
1938, losing was a hammer’s blow.
“Getting closer,” Murray said through the tears, with his mother, Judy,
and girlfriend, Kim Sears, crying in the players box along with numerous
fans in other parts of the stadium.
“I’d like to congratulate Roger,” Murray said after recovering his
composure. “He’s not bad for a 30-year-old. He played a great
tournament. I thought he had some struggles early on with his back and
showed what fight he still has left in him.”
Though Murray was unquestionably the crowd favorite, the atmosphere in
Centre Court was not quite a wall of pro-Murray sound. There were two
shouts of “I love you, Roger” in the second game alone.
Even with Murray trying to end a 76-year British drought, Federer still
had big support. But the prevailing sentiment in the end on Centre Court
was not joy for Federer but sympathy for Murray, a great talent whose
tennis dreams, unlike Federer’s, have not yet been realized.
“I really do believe deep down in me he will win Grand Slams, not just
one,” Federer said. “I really do believe and hope for him that he’s
going to win one soon.”
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