Andy Murray triumph dawns near era in British tennis

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Ahead 5-4 in the third set, leading the game 40-love and the match by two sets to love - the elusive and the coveted Wimbledon title is perhaps an ace away for Andy Murray. But the Brit, edged on by probably the whole of Great Britain, botches the job, not once, not twice, but three consecutive times to squander all three Championship points to take the fight to perhaps a more deserving climax. Novak Djokovic and Murray slug it out for a few more minutes.... The passage of which officialy seals the Fred Perry saga in British tennis.
Murray wins maiden title at Wimbledon 
To criticise Murray now, when he is probably being serenaded all across the British Isles (With the probable exception of Ireland), would be to invite a disaster. But for a guy who revels when he is pushed to a corner and is considered a pre-eminent street-fighter, to fumble on three occasions was slightly uncharacteristic. Churlish, though this may sound, it was not merely the weight of expectations that Murray had to live up to that were weighing him down but 77 years of history was beckoning him.
With all the hullabaloo and buzz surrounding the British No 1, it would have been a man of steel who would have not crumbled under pressure. But Murray acquitted himself superbly in a game where the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against him. With the Prime Minister of United Kingdom, David Cameron, in audience among many other celebrities and the whole of Britain waiting with baited breath to see Murray lift 'The Championships', the Scot maintained his poise and managed to see himself past the finishing line.
It has been an arduous journey for Murray, who turned professional in 2005, the year which saw former British number 1 and the hope of the British crowd for close to a decade, Tim Henman, brandish his racquet at the 'All England Lawn-Tennis Club' for the last time. Henman, an out and out grass-courtier and probably one of the last disciples of the old school of tennis, had reached the semi-final at South West 19 four times only to be undone by Pete Sampras on two occasions, Goran Ivanisevic and Lleyton Hewitt in chronological order.
The early departure of Henman in the Championships of 2005 and the astounding entry of Murray into the round of 16 in the same event would at once mark the end of an epoch while signifying the dawn of a new one. The sun, if it were never to set, is highly unlikely that it would rise again! And thus, when, if not a sun, then certainly a Champion of British hearts, Henman bid adieu to the Centre Court, where he had toiled and had acquainted himself with each blade of grass, Murray, the Scot announced his arrival in the game's most royal theatre. 
Both in terms of style and disposition, Henman and Murray are a universe apart. Murray is the very anti-thesis of Henman, who had gone about his job with fluid, if not regal, grace, flowing single-handed backhands and deft volleys, like an artiste of the medieval era. Murray, on the other hand, with his workman-like approach to the game, was a baseliner, who relied more on his athletic prowess than his magic with the racquet. In age, the two were separated by a gap of 13 years but in essence, the two of them actually belonged to two separate worlds between which a whole new universe had managed to wedge itself in.
The years that succeeded 2005 weren't easy on Murray, who in an era dominated by Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal tried to break into the 'Big Boys' league. And despite making it to the final of the US Open final in 2008, Murray was dismissed as a player who didn't have the gravitas to win a Major. In 2010, he reached the final of yet another Major tournament, only to be undone by the Swiss maestro, Federer, yet again. His defeats in the crucial stages of a tournament began to cast serious doubts over his ability to handle pressure and people began to wonder if Murray had it in him to end Britain's drought.
Unlike Djokovic, who loves going for monstrous forehands and some sharp backhands, loaded with a great deal of power, Murray's strength lies in his ability to retrieve the ball and keep it in play till he deems a ball fit for punishment. Not that he has no attacking strokes in his repertoire. In fact, the backhand cross-court, one that he strikes at a sharp angle is probably one of the most menacing strokes in the world today. Apart from having a deceptive drop shot, he is also an expert when it comes to lifting them and sending them and generating winners off them quite often. The 'pick-up' shot, as it is often called is a defensive stroke employed by players whose only hope is to delay the inevitable. But Murray seems to have mastered the nuances of that particular stroke and by assessing the positon of the player, uses it to great effect as a winner at the net.
What was most impressive in the final on Sunday was that Murray did not hesitate to come out of his comfort zone and although he did retrieve and rally hard, he was less inhibited in his stroke-play than ever before. He did not mind taking the attack to the much more powerful Djokovic and what's more, ended up scoring almost twice as many winners as his opponent. And of course, an erratic Djokovic, who was increasingly getting frustrated with what he considerd poor umpiring also helped his cause a great deal.
Bjorn Borg's historic feats at Wimbledon and Roland Garros spawned a whole era of Swedish greats, Stefan Edberg and Mats Wilander being some of the noteworthy names. And although Murray won the US Open last year, the people of Britain were waiting to see him hold aloft 'The Championships' and now that he has succeeded, it remains to be seen if he inspires a whole new generation of players who will grow up venerating the Scot and with desires of emulating him.
Murray wins maiden title at Wimbledon