 Zeenews Sports Bureau
Wimbledon: Every time Andy Murray has stepped on the court of a Grand Slam tournament, he has carried the unwanted burden of rewriting history. Of course he has been the darling of British media and the lanky Scot has time and again shrugged off such expectations claiming he plays for himself first and then for the country.
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Neither he nor his British fans can forget to remember the 76-year long wait to see one of their own to claim the highest prize on the grass court. Surely, when he meets Roger Federer in the final of the Gentlemen`s Singles at 2012 Wimbledon on Sunday, the pressure of becoming the first man from his country since Fred Perry to win a Grand Slam title would be firm on his mind.
On the other side of the court would be Roger Federer looking to add another Grand Slam title to his swelling kitty. His last Slam title came in 2010 when he won the Australian Open. Incidentally, his opponent in the final happened to be Andy Murray who was reduced to tears after the loss saying “I could cry like Roger but it’s just a shame I can’t play like him.”
Fedex would be staring at two records. Both of them involve former American great Pete Sampras. The first one deals with equaling the number of weeks that Sampras spent as the World No. 1 and the second to join Sampras and William Renshaw in winning seven Wimbledon men’s singles titles.
His emphatic win against current World no. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals reminded everyone of the vintage Federer who would dominate his opponent with class written all over his game. It can be a strong signal for his opponent whom he has defeated in the two meetings at Grand Slam finals (US Open 2008, Australian Open 2010).
Experts are advising Murray to start well that has proved to be his undoing in previous Major finals. Anything on the loose and his dream will be shattered again.
One wait ended on Saturday for Britain as Jonathan Marray (Britain) and Frederik Nielsen (Denmark) won the 2012 Wimbledon doubles title. Marray is the first British to do so in 76 years at the prestigious grasscourt event.
An interesting battle awaits the Wimbledon crowd who perhaps for the first time will be rooting against the Swiss while devouring strawberry and cream.
Meanwhile, who are you rooting for?
First Published: Sunday, July 8, 2012, 09:34
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