Roger Federer, Wimbledon Champion Once Again
Congratulations to Roger Federer! He just won his 7th Wimbledon title, 17th major overall. He defeated Britain’s Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4. Federer equals Pete Sampras’ record. He turns 31 in August, and is the oldest man to win a major since 2003, when Andre Agassi won the Australian Open at age 32. This is Federer’s first major in over two years.
It was a historic final for both players. As I mentioned earlier, Federer was looking to equal Sampras’ record. Murray was the first British man in the men’s singles final in over 70 years. He had been to 3 major finals before- 2 Australian Opens-where he lost to Novak Djokovic and Federer- and an US Open final-where he lost to Federer. There were many familiar faces in the crowd, most of them supporting Murray. Kate Middleton; the Duke of Cambridge; David Cameron, England’s Prime Minister, and the most famous Brit of them all, David Beckham, former Manchester United and Real Madrid player.
Murray won the first set 6-4 and Federer fans started to get worried. However, Federer started playing better in the second set and was able to win 7-5. They had just started the third set and were at 1-1, when there was a short rain delay and play was suspended while they closed the roof. They had to wait around 40 minutes before continuing the match. This was the first Wimbledon singles final that was played with the roof closed. The match resumed after the roof was closed, and Federer continued playing really good tennis. The turning point, the one where it looked as though Federer was definitely going to win, came when they played a 20-minute game that lasted 26 points. This is when Federer broke Murray’s serve and from there, it just got easier for Federer.
Although I was rooting for Federer, it was hard not to feel bad for Murray. In his runner-up speech, he (and his friends and family) choked up. It was very heartbreaking to see, but it also showed everyone how passionate Murray was and how much this meant to him. Murray deserves a lot of credit. He was really good, had it not been for his great returns, Federer would’ve gotten easy points on his serve. This was the first time in four finals that he had won a set, and he’s just going to keep getting better. I believe that one day Murray will win a major, if not at least 2 or 3. He has the talent and he has beaten the top players, now he just needs the confidence to know that he can do it. After this final, it looks like he’s starting to believe in himself.
Over the past few years, a lot of people have been saying that Federer was getting too old and his best tennis was behind him. He proved them wrong on Sunday. Last year, before the French Open, Federer said that he believed he could win another grand slam and be number one again. http://adjustingthenet.com/2011/05/10/federer-believes-he-can-be-no-1-again-but-do-you/ Most people doubted him. Well, by winning Wimbledon today, he returns to number 1 in the world again and cements his place in history as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
