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Murray's Summer of Success
3 min read
It has undoubtedly been a triumphant summer for British sport, and in particular for Andy Murray, who on Sunday became the first British man in 76 years to win a major men's tennis singles title when he beat Novak Djokovic in the US Open finals.
The summer began for Murray with promise as he became the first male to play a Wimbledon final since Fred Perry in 1936. Sadly for Murray, the nail biting Wimbledon final against the world number 1, Roger Federer, ended in a heartbreaking defeat for the Brit, the impact of which was hard to miss as the nation watched an emotional Murray attempt to deliver his speech as the runner up.
Following the success of reaching the Wimbledon final, and in a rematch of the Wimbledon game, Murray beat Federer to win an Olympic gold for Team GB in August.
His success on Sunday means that Murray has finally accomplished his dream of winning a grand slam, and came only hours after British Olympic and Paralympic athletes were saluted with a parade around the streets of London. This Friday sees Scottish Olympians hit the streets of Glasgow, to a crowd eagerly anticipating the arrival of native Andy Murray.
So what has contributed to Murray's success? The road to his successful summer has not been a easy one. Starting tennis from an early age, Murry decided to dedicate fully to the sport at the age of 12. At the age of 15, he was tempted overseas after hearing about the facilities and training available by a young Rafael Nadal, stating to his mother - "Rafa's out in the sun all day. He hardly goes to school and he's playing four and a half hours a day. I'm playing four and a half hours a week. It's not enough."
Since then, hard work and pure ability have taken him very close to the top of the game, rising from 375 in the world on his 18th birthday to the top 10 before the end of his teens. A brilliant backhand, natural court craft and almost supernatural anticipation on the return, coupled with his rapidly improving movement, made the Brit too much for almost all.
Now ranked number 3 in the world, Murray is in the company of 2 men considered by many as some of, if not the best players of all time - Federer and Djokovic. Could Murray continue his winning streak and become the world number 1?
