World No 1 Novak Djokovic saved two championship points in Wimbledon’s
longest singles final to retain his title in a thrilling win over world No 2 Roger
Federer.
Roger Federer led Novak Djokovic 8-7 40-15 on his serve in the final set but
the Serb fought back to win 7-6 (7-5) 1-6 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 13-12 (7-3) in four
hours and 57 minutes.
Novak Djokovic, 32, has won 16 Grand Slams – and four of the last five.
The Swiss said letting slip two championship
points in his Wimbledon final loss to Novak Djokovic was “such an
incredible opportunity missed”.
It is the second time Roger Federer, 37, has been involved in the longest
singles final at Wimbledon – and ended up losing too – after he was beaten by
Rafael Nadal in 2008.
Roger Federer has lost his past five meetings with Novak Djokovic in Grand
Slams, last beating the Serb at Wimbledon in 2012.
He still holds the all-time men’s Grand Slam record of 20 singles titles but
Novak Djokovic now has 16 with Rafael Nadal on 18.
Roger Federer, who during Wimbledon set two new landmarks in winning his 100th match at the championships and his 350th match at a Grand Slam, said holding the record was not what motivated him as a player.
Andy Murray ended Britain’s 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion with an epic victory over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final.
Andy Murray, 25, emulated Fred Perry’s 1936 achievement, winning 7-6 (12-10) 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2 in four hours 54 minutes in the Arthur Ashe Stadium.
He also reached the Wimbledon final and won Olympic gold this summer.
“When I realized I had won, I was a little bit shocked, I was very relieved and I was very emotional,” said Andy Murray.
Despite his other successes, this result will arguably have a greater impact on his career and the future of tennis in the United Kingdom.
Andy Murray – the new world number three – lost his first four Grand Slam finals to share an Open-era record with coach Ivan Lendl, but like the Czech he has triumphed at the fifth time of asking.
Andy Murray ended Britain's 76-year wait for a male Grand Slam singles champion with an epic victory over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final
And while it is a dream of Andy Murray’s to win Wimbledon, the British number one has long been tipped to make his breakthrough at Flushing Meadows in the final major of the year.
He was the boys’ singles champion there in 2004, hard courts are his favourite surface and he enjoys the atmosphere in New York.
Andy Murray is unlikely to ever forget the atmosphere inside the world’s biggest tennis arena as he celebrated his success, which arrived in his 28th appearance at a Grand Slam tournament.
A swirling wind made conditions troublesome for both players, but it was Andy Murray who coped better in the first two sets and eventually ended Novak Djokovic’s title defence and 27-match hard-court winning run at majors.
“They were incredibly tricky conditions,” said the right-hander from Dunblane.
“Novak is so strong, he fights until the end of every match and I don’t know how I managed to come through in the end.”
After early breaks were exchanged, Andy Murray struck again before moving 4-2 ahead following a game that included a 54-shot rally.
Novak Djokovic rallied to force a tie-break, yet his opponent showed greater belief and took a sixth set point with 87 minutes on the clock.
Andy Murray roared with delight and carried his momentum into the second set, breaking an out-of-sorts Novak Djokovic twice for a 4-0 lead.
A lapse in concentration allowed Novak Djokovic back in and when the Serbian landed a majestic lob for 5-5, Andy Murray clutched his left thigh.
There were no signs of injury, though, as Andy Murray held to 15 and then forced a flurry or errors from the world number two, opening up a two-set lead for the first time in a Grand Slam final.
The crowed urged Novak Djokovic to respond and he did – threatening in game one of the third set before making his move in game three.
Andy Murray was now starting to berate himself and voice his frustrations in the direction of his player box, never more so than when two backhand mistakes saw chances squandered in game six.
He then fell a double-break down thanks to an incredible backhand on to the baseline from Novak Djokovic, who easily closed out the set.
Novak Djokovic looked revitalised, Andy Murray weary, and the right-hander from Belgrade swiftly found himself 2-0 up in the fourth set.
Just when it seemed Andy Murray might respond, Novak Djokovic was called for a time violation and he angrily took his performance to a new level.
When Andy Murray’s backhand broke down again, Novak Djokovic leapt with joy and it seemed he could become the first man since Pancho Gonzales in 1949 to rally from two sets down to win the US Open.
But Andy Murray had other ideas and made a devastating start to the decider, breaking in game one and consolidating it with some defensive play of the very highest order.
The third seed was in dreamland when Novak Djokovic netted a forehand to hand over the double-break, only for a nervous Andy Murray to immediately surrender one of his strikes with a timid backhand.
A love service hold put Andy Murray back on track and he advanced to within one game of victory when Novak Djokovic netted a forehand.
Andy Murray served out the championship 79 years to the day – on the same court – that Perry won the first of eight major singles crowns.
“I’m disappointed to lose, but I gave it my all,” said five-time major winner Novak Djokovic, a friend of Andy Murray’s and seven days younger.
“I had a great opponent today. He deserved to win this Grand Slam more than anybody. I would like to congratulate him.”
Andy Murray’s bid to win Wimbledon was ended by Roger Federer as the Swiss claimed a record-equalling seventh SW19 triumph and 17th Grand Slam title.
Andy Murray, 25, was aiming to become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to lift a major singles trophy.
Roger Federer, 30, won 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 on Centre Court to match the mark set by Pete Sampras and reclaim the world number one ranking.
A tearful Andy Murray has now lost all four of his Grand Slam finals.
Andy Murray was the first Briton to contest the Wimbledon men’s singles final since Bunny Austin in 1938, but fell just short of the ultimate goal.
“Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon, but it’s not the people watching – they make it incredible,” said Andy Murray in the wake of his defeat.
“There are mixed emotions. Most of them are negative. The reaction from the crowd was great. I felt like I was playing for the nation and I couldn’t quite do it.”
Roger Federer claimed a record-equalling seventh SW19 triumph and 17th Grand Slam title
Roger Federer fully deserved his victory, which not only sees him level Pete Sampras on seven Wimbledon titles, but also secures him a record 286th week as world number one.
He is the second-oldest man to occupy top spot, goes away with a cheque for £1.15 million ($1.85 million) and will head to the Olympics – also being staged at the All England Club – as clear favourite.
Andy Murray, who collects the £575,000 ($920,000) runner-up prize, now shares his coach Ivan Lendl’s unenviable record of losing his first four Grand Slam finals.
Having made poor starts in each of the previous three – all of which ended in straight-sets defeats – Andy Murray knew it was vital to secure the early momentum.
All was going to plan as a couple of pummelling backhands down the line, a tactic many highlighted pre-match, helped Andy Murray break in the opening game and then consolidate the advantage for a 2-0 lead.
Roger Federer looked uneasy with the pace his opponent was setting and began deploying sliced groundstrokes to slow things down.
A majestic backhand landed on the baseline to engineer a break-back point in game four, and he converted it when Andy Murray found the net.
Both men needed to serve their way out of trouble as the pressure mounted and, crucially, Andy Murray produced a sensational volley at his feet to save the second of two break points in a 13-minute game eight.
He then struck with the help of a forehand pass that Roger Federer ducked to avoid being hit – reminiscent of the aggression shown by Lendl during his career – and comfortably served out the first set.
Statistically, Andy Murray actually improved in almost every area during the second, but the key difference was that he could not take his chances.
Whereas Andy Murray converted both break points that came his way in the first set, he let two slip at 2-2 and another two at 4-4.
Roger Federer held for 6-5 before going on the attack, and he came from 40-15 down to level the match with a sensational backhand drop volley.
Heavy rain arrived at at 16:14 BST with Roger Federer 40-0 up in game three of set three, and the prospect of further downpours saw the roof closed.
When play resumed 35 minutes later the Swiss, who destroyed world number one Novak Djokovic indoors on Friday, was vastly superior and put andy Murray under the cosh in a marathon game five.
Andy Murray was reeled in from 40-0, Roger Federer moving to deuce when the Scot took a heavy tumble at the net, and he slipped again before finally succumbing on a sixth break point.
Roger Federer served out with a crunching ace and averted danger early in the fourth set before striking for 4-2 with a cross-court backhand pass.
He wrapped up his first Grand Slam title since the 2010 Australian Open when Murray hooked a forehand into the tramlines.
“This fortnight was a step in the right direction. I won’t go back on the court until my mind is right and I am over the loss,” added Andy Murray of his future plans.
“The Olympics is a special event and I want to make sure I am ready. If I play like I did this week I have a good chance of winning a medal.”
Maria Sharapova blasted her way to victory over Italian Sara Errani in the French Open final to become only the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam.
Maria Sharapova, 25, claimed a one-sided 6-3 6-2 win to add to the Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open titles from earlier in her career.
The Russian overwhelmed her Italian opponent, who was playing in her first Grand Slam singles final.
Maria Sharapova’s run in Paris has also moved her top of the women’s rankings.
At a time when the women’s game is lacking a dominant and consistent figure, Maria Sharapova provided more evidence that she is capable of filling that vacuum.
Since she was last world number one in June 2008, the top ranking has been held by eight different players and changed hands on 15 occasions, while the last six Grand Slams have been won by six different women.
Maria Sharapova blasted her way to victory over Italian Sara Errani in the French Open final to become only the 10th woman to complete a career Grand Slam
Maria Sharapova, who has battled back from shoulder surgery that threatened her career and severely disrupted her serve, produced a display of power and precision which will now see her head into Wimbledon as a strong favourite.
She and Sara Errani had never met before and, while the Russian was the clear favourite, her opponent posed a threat having won three clay court tournaments coming into the French Open.
But the Italian had her first two service games broken and struggled to handle the power of her opponent’s game.
The Russian had lost her last two Grand Slam finals at Wimbledon and the Australian Open but was clearly determined not to slip up again.
Sara Errani engineered a break back to register her first game but it was a temporary reprieve as Maria Sharapova claimed a third set point with a backhand down the line.
Maria Sharapova broke to love at the start of the second set and despite Sara Errani drawing cheers from the crowd with some adventurous shotmaking, it was not enough to disrupt the second seed.
Sara Errani had won the women’s doubles title with Roberta Vinci on Friday and, after her semi-final win over Samantha Stosur, said she had to start showing greater belief against more illustrious opponents.
But the Bologna-born right-hander rarely looked like she thought she could overcome Maria Sharapova and after wasting a break point in game four, she was broken again in game five.
Maria Sharapova set up her third match point with a magnificent running forehand winner up the line, and converted it when Sara Errani sliced a tame backhand into the net.
It was her first Grand Slam title since the 2008 Australian Open and she sunk to her knees in celebration.
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