Andy Murray beats Novak Djokovic to win first Wimbledon title
Andy Murray has won two of the last three Grand Slam tournaments he's entered. (Karwai Tang/WireImage)
WIMBLEDON, England -- The 77-year drought is over.
Andy Murray defeated Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 on Sunday to become the first British man to win Wimbledon since 1936. Murray, who lost in the final last year, won his second Grand Slam title, after taking the 2012 U.S. Open.
Murray hit 36 winners and 21 unforced errors while outplaying Djokovic, who finished with 31 winners and 40 unforced errors over three hours and nine minutes. Despite his subpar form, Djokovic built a 4-1 lead in the second set as well as a 4-2 lead in the final set but couldn't hold on. He is now 0-2 against Murray on grass without winning a set, having lost at the London Olympics last year at the All England Club.
"The bottom line is that he was a better player in decisive moments," Djokovic said. "Both second and third sets, I was 4‑2 up and dropped the serve in those games and just allowed him to come back for no reason."
Murray broke Djokovic at 4-4 in the third set to earn a chance to serve for the title. He built a 40-love lead but couldn't convert any of the three championship points, and he eventually had to fend off three break points against the steely Djokovic. Finally, on his fourth championship point, Murray came through as Centre Court erupted.
"Winning Wimbledon, yeah, I still can't believe it," a shell-shocked Murray told reporters. "Can't get my head around that. I can't believe it."
Game-by-game analysis of a historic Wimbledon final after the jump.
Championship Trophy Ceremony
Great scenes on Centre Court, as Murray is completely beside himself. He climbs up to his box and Ivan Lendl gives him a hug and a big slap on the back. High-fives all around, but where's his mother, Judy? He climbs down but she finally screams out to him and they have a nice hug. Djokovic's parents also come over to give Judy a hug and a kiss. Class move from them. Nice to see.
Sue Barker tells Djokovic he threw everything at Murray today. "But still, wasn't enough," he says, laughing. "Congratulations to Andy. You absolutely deserved this win. You played incredible tennis. ... I gave it all. It was an absolute pleasure again to be a part of this match, this final."
And now the champion, who stood on this court in this match a year ago and cried his eyes out. "It feels slightly different to last year," he tells Barker. "Last year was one of the toughest moments of my career."
Barker jokes that it was excruciating to watch him try to serve out the match. "Imagine playing it," he jokes. "I've played Novak many times and I think when everyone is finished playing he'll go down as one of the greatest fighters. ... I hope you guys enjoyed it. I tried my best." Even his victory speeches sound like concession speeches. "I have no idea what happened [on match point]. I don't know how long that last game was. I'm sorry, guys."
Ivan Lendl is smiling. That's all you need to know.
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Third Set
12:18 pm. ET | Andy Murray defeats Novak Djokovic 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to win his first Wimbledon title.
Andy Murray is serving for the Wimbledon title. To quote Murray himself, "This is not going to be easy..."
15-0. Djokovic backhand down the line long. That was his 40th unforced error of the match.
30-0. Poor drop shot attempt from Djokovic and Murray gets there easily to push it down the line for his 34th winner of the match.
40-0. Big first serve down the tee and Djokovic's return is long. Three championship points for Murray.
40-15. As the crowd screams "Andy!" and "Go on, son!" during the rally, Djokovic finally puts away a forehand volley.
40-30. Djokovic steps in to a short second serve and pounds the backhand return for a winner. BBC cuts to Kim Sears, who is trembling.
Deuce. "Oh, no ..." says the BBC. Murray sends a backhand long.
Advantage, Djokovic. A Murray forehand goes into the middle of the net.
Deuce. Big serve from Murray.
Advantage, Djokovic. Does the net cord not know it's supposed to be for Britain? Djokovic with a soft pick-up volley that trickles over for a winner.
Deuce. Long rally and Murray wins with depth, finally puts a mid-court forehand away. "Wonderful, wonderful stuff! This is the boy digging deep!" Yes, this is the BBC commentary.
Advantage, Djokovic. RIDICULOUS sliding sharp-angle volley from Djokovic. "Oh, just stop it," says the BBC with a bucket load of exasperation.
Deuce. Big forehand from Murray to break it open and he finishes with a soft volley winner.
Advantage, Murray. It started as a joke but it's really true: Djokovic's overhead smash might be the worst shot in the game. Murray gets back in the point and he finishes it off with a forehand.
GAME SET MATCH, ANDY MURRAY. Djokovic nets a backhand and Murray raises his arms, throws off his hat and screams at his box.
Andy Murray hasn't lost a match on grass since last year's Wimbledon final. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Andy Murray, 2013 Wimbledon champion. Well-deserved. What a 12-month journey for him.
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12:11 pm. ET | Murray breaks, leads *5-4.
Awesome display from Murray to earn break points. Another running forehand winner earns him two at 15-40. Prime Minister David Cameron leaps from his seat in the Royal Box.
Murray needs only one break point. Djokovic puts an easy forehand into the net and Andy Murray will serve for the Wimbledon title. Centre Court is going bonkers, as it should.
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12:07 pm. ET | Murray breaks and holds, tied 4-4*.
Murray gets two break points at 15-40. Good hitting from him. He's stepping in and trying to break open the rally with his forehand. An aggressive Murray is a good Murray. He breaks to get things back on serve.
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He consolidates with an incredible running forehand that lands plum on the baseline.
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11:56 am. ET | Djokovic breaks, leads *4-2.
Now it's Murray who's all out of sorts. Djokovic is using his drop shot beautifully and Murray is looking a step slow. He puts a regulation backhand into the net to give Djokovic two break points at 15-40 and then nets an easy forehand. He's now lost four games in a row.
Novak Djokovic argues with the chair umpire in the second set. (Getty Images)
11:50 am. ET | Djokovic breaks and holds, leads 3-2*.
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Two horrible decisions from Murray help Djokovic get the break back. At 30-all, Djokovic pulls him in with a drop shot and he responds with a dropper of his own, which Djokovic gets to and wins the point. Murray really should have pushed it back down the line instead of hitting the drop.
On break point, Murray goes with an ill-advised drop shot again and Djokovic gets there. Murray has a makeable backhand volley but he misses it wide down the line. Djokovic breaks and Centre Court goes back to freaking out.
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11:41 am. ET | Djokovic holds, trails 1-2*.
Killer instinct from Murray kicking in. He can put this match away if he gets the second break here.
"I'm getting excited," says Boris Becker. I'm a little worried that the BBC commentary booth will explode if Murray gets the break here.
He doesn't. He gets to 0-30, but Djokovic steels himself and wins the next four points to hold.
As the BBC commentator starts to mention 1936, Becker interrupts. "Don't! Don't!" They are seriously freaking out in the BBC booth.
British Prime Minister David Cameron and Scotland First Minister Alex Salmond watch the men's final from The Royal Box (Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)
11:38 am. ET | Murray breaks and holds, leads 2-0*.
I'm not sure anyone saw Murray's winning this match in straight sets. He gets the immediate break when Djokovic sends a slice just long. With two sets in his pocket, he can play more aggressively now. The Serb is reeling.
Murray consolidates the break with a quick hold at love.
Second Set
11:23 am. ET | Murray wins the second set 7-5, leads 6-4, 7-5.
Everything you need to know about Djokovic's head right now is in the second-serve return he just hit two meters out at 30-0. And everything you need to know about Murray's head right now can be found in the ace he cracks to seal the game and the set.
Andy Murray is a set away from becoming the first British man since Fred Perry to win Wimbledon. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
What a turnaround. Murray comes back from 1-4 down to take the set 7-5 and he's one set away from banishing the ghost of Fred Perry from Centre Court. No man has come back from 0-2 down to win Wimbledon since 1927.
Can Novak Djokovic, the King of Comebacks, mount another one?
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11:20 am. ET | Murray breaks, leads *6-5.
Out of challenges, Djokovic is absolutely livid on a non-call of a close Murray shot and screams at Mohamed Lahyani to do something. He wants the umpire to step in, but had he been able to challenge it, he would have found that the call was right. It was in. He loses his focus and Murray breaks.
The Brit will serve for a two-set lead.
11:16 am. ET | Murray holds, tied 5-5*.
We're two hours into this match and Murray just uncorked a 131 mph ace. Good serving from him and he holds.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic have contested the final of three of the last four Slams (Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)
11:10 am. ET | Djokovic holds, leads 5-4*.
Love hold for Djokovic. Murray will serve to stay in the set.
11:06 am. ET | Murray holds, tied 4-4*.
Murray looked to be sailing along to a comfortable hold, getting to 30-0. But he falls behind and gives Djokovic a break point, which he saves with a timely ace that just ticks the line. Djokovic has actually run out of challenges in this set. That might prove costly.
Djokovic gets another break point but Murray saves behind a good serve and some heavy hitting off his forehand side. He gets to game point with a cheeky drop shot winner and he holds behind another big serve. That's three straight games for Murray.
10:56 am. ET | Murray breaks, trails *3-4.
Great running forehand down-the-line pass from Murray clips the tape and Djokovic can't get the ball back. It gives Murray two break points to get the set back on serve, but he can't capitalize. He puts a forehand into the middle of the net on the first and then a regulation backhand into the bottom of the net on the second. He swipes the ground in frustration. You'd be frustrated, too, if you were 2-for-10 on break points in the match.
On game point, Murray finally connects on a return, cracking a backhand winner that Djokovic doesn't even move for. He follows that up with an 86 mph running forehand laser that leaves Djokovic on the ground. On break point, Djokovic hits his third double fault of the match.
Back on serve.
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10:48 am. ET | Murray holds, trails 2-4*.
Murray's now gone to the baseball cap as the temperatures keep climbing. He gets a good hold at 15, but Djokovic's lead has sucked the air out of Centre Court at the moment. These metronomic rallies aren't giving them much to get excited about either.
Novak Djokovic defending. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
10:43 am. ET | Djokovic breaks and holds, leads 4-1*.
A thoroughly Djokovician game for the Serb to break. He digs in and outmuscles Murray, winning a 28-shot rally and then a 30-shot rally back-to-back. Murray sends a tired forehand into the net on break point and this time it's Djokovic who strikes first.
Djokovic falls behind 15-30 on his serve but gets to game point with a beautiful pick-up volley. He holds. Murray will regret the backhand return he missed on an easy Djokovic second serve at 15-30.
BBC flashes up a stat showing that Murray has run 18 percent more than Djokovic so far in the match. That's way too reactive from Murray.
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10:32 am. ET | Djokovic holds, leads 2-1*.
So how much does that first set mean? It's huge for Murray and not a big deal for Djokovic. Murray has never beaten Djokovic after losing the first set, so taking that first set was big for him. Then again, Djokovic has won their last three matches after dropping the first set, beating Murray at the Shanghai Masters and World Tour Finals last year and the Australian Open this year via comebacks. So this ain't over.
Novak Djokovic takes a fall in the first set. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
As for the quality of this match so far, it's not exactly one for the DVD collection. Djokovic hasn't played well at all. We'll see if he can turn it around.
Fans celebrate on Henman Hill. (Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images)
First Set
10:15 am. ET | Murray wins the first set 6-4.
After all those marathon service games, Murray comes out and holds at love.
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That was a dominant set from Murray, but he still barely came out of it. How's this for symmetry: Djokovic hit six winners and 17 unforced errors. Murray hit 17 winners and six unforced errors. Great serving from Murray on the whole. The two have rarely been able to hit double digits in aces when they play each other, but Murray hit five in that first set and won 84 percent of his first-serve points compared to one ace and 54 percent for Djokovic.
Andy Murray won the first set in all seven of his career wins over Novak Djokovic.(Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)
10:12 am. ET | Djokovic holds, trails 4-5*
Deuce game but Djokovic holds. He took a bad fall when he slipped trying to serve and volley.
Murray will serve for the first set.
10:05 am. ET | Murray holds, leads 5-3*
It's not a break until you ... OK, you get it by now. Murray comes out of the changeover and hits back-to-back double faults to start the game. A forehand error gives Djokovic two break points at 15-40. Murray saves the first with an ace.
Then a completely odd point. Djokovic hits a ball that looks out and you can hear Mohamed Lahyani make an out call. But the two keep playing the point, and Murray wins it anyway. Both men shoot Lahyani a look and Djokovic complains, but the right man won the call anyway. An odd rookie mistake from Lahyani in his first Wimbledon final.
"And another long service game," Boris Becker helpfully points out. Forty-seven minutes into the match we get a 26-shot rally, the longest of the match, which Djokovic finally wins when Murray sends a backhand long. Murray saves his third break point of the game with a big forehand into the corner and finishes with a leaping forehand volley. He escapes with a hold.
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If there were a wet T-shirt contest on Centre Court right now, Murray would be the winner. He's had to work so hard in this heat and his shirt is completely soaked.
9:54 am. ET | Murray holds and breaks, leads *4-3.
Murray holds at love and then ratchets up his aggression on his next return game. Stepping into his forehand giving it a whack, Murray earns three break points and breaks when Djokovic puts a backhand into the net. That game featured the most memorable point so far, one that saw Murray get back two Djokovic smashes -- which, let's be honest, is his worst shot -- and then float a lob down the line that Djokovic gets with a backhand overhead smash. Murray races up and knocks the reply cross court with his backhand for the winner.
Great point from Murray and I really like how he's continually hitting behind Djokovic so far.
Murray is 1-2 against Djokovic in Slam finals. (Dennis Grombkowski/Getty Images)
9:45 am. ET | Djokovic breaks back and holds, leads 3-2*.
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It's not a break until you hold and Murray can't hold. Djokovic grabs his baseball cap during the changeover to shield himself from the blazing sun and he gets three break points at 0-40 on Murray's serve. Murray's second serve continues to be a liability this tournament, as he spins in a puffer down 0-30 that lets Djokovic take control of the rally. Djokovic calmly gets the break back when he pulls Murray wide to his backhand and Murray nets it.
Now, can he get an easy service game?
Well, it wasn't an easy service game. Djokovic builds to 40-0 and then chunks an easy volley that has the BBC commentators in stitches. "It bounced before it even touched the net!" Murray gets back to 40-30 but then hits the tape on a forehand approach and the ball ricochets wide.
Bradley Cooper (left) and Gerard Butler watch the final. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
9:35 am. ET | Murray breaks, leads *2-1.
Some of the talk around the press room has been about whether Murray will come out with guns blazing like he did against Federer last year, playing aggressive tennis and trying to dictate with his forehand. So far, it looks like he wants to test Djokovic's physicality and show him that he can rally with him all day. Djokovic is coming of a near-five-hour semifinal. So far, the long rallies have gone Murray's way. He won the first one at 20 strokes in the first game and wins another one at 24 strokes.
Murray earns his fourth break point of the match but this time Djokovic comes through in a 25-stroke rally that ends when Djokovic pulls him wide to his forehand and he sails a running snap-forehand out. He earns yet another break point when Djokovic hits a forehand approach long. Too many loose errors from Djokovic to start.
Djokovic saves break point with a service winner but then gives Murray his sixth break point of the match with a forehand into the net.
Murray still can't convert. He nets a forehand and yells "HIT!" At least I think he yelled, "HIT!"
Murray earns yet another break point when he races to nail a forehand winner, but he slips as he's trying to slow down. He grimaces and grabs his hip.
This time Murray converts. He sends a backhand down the line as Djokovic races the other way and he's got the lead. Only took him eight break points to do it ...
9:29 am. ET | Murray holds, tied 1-1*.
First point of the match: 20-stroke rally. Hope everyone ate a hearty breakfast. This isn't going to be a short one.
Three bad errors from Djokovic and Murray has three break points right away. Djokovic, the man who bends but doesn't break (sometimes literally, given his flexibility), cleans up his game and wins the next five points to hold.
Good hold for Murray at 15, helped by two big aces. He needs a very good serving day today.
9:14 am. ET | Warm-up
It's the hottest day of the year in Britain today, with clear skies and temperatures rising into the upper 80s to 90s. I took a walk around Henman Hill this morning, which was packed within minutes of the gates being opened, and people were already struggling with the heat. They had to call the medics for an older woman who was looking ill as a few younger fans held umbrellas over her. Years ago we'd say the heat would be a killer for Djokovic. Not so anymore. The BBC has been running a "Man of Steel" montage for Djokovic all week. That said, the heat could help Murray get a bit more pop on his serve, which he'll need.
The players take the court with what looks like a very well-dressed pack mule trailing behind them. It's a very funny visual.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic walk out on Centre Court for the final of the 127th Wimbledon Championships. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Darren Cahill on ESPN tells a great anecdote about Andy Murray: He couldn't sleep before his loss to Richard Gasquet last year in Rome so he hopped out of bed and did 300 calf raises. The next day, he couldn't run. Murray knows how physical the game had become and when he felt like he was still trying to chase down the Big Three for his first Grand Slam title, this is what he'd do. Not so anymore. He feels like he belongs now. There's no panic anymore.
Clive Owen narrates ESPN's pre-match montage, which kicks off with Murray's tearful concession speech after last year's Wimbledon final loss to Roger Federer. Because we haven't seen that clip enough times. Though really, we haven't. It was a great sporting moment and it's a big reason why today's final feels so different from last year's. Last year, there was hope but a sense of dread as Murray took the court to contest his first Wimbledon final. The country didn't entirely believe in him, or even like him. Twelve months on, he's a hero around these parts. The Centre Court crowd, which was split last year when Murray played Federer, will be firmly on his side today against Djokovic.
Andy Murray's girlfriend, Kim Sears, greets Novak Djokovic's girlfriend, Jelena Ristic. (Karwai Tang/WireImage/Getty Images)
In case you missed it, there are a lot of 7s in play today: It's July 7; Murray is 7 days older than Djokovic; it's been 77 years since a British man won the singles title at Wimbledon; and today Djokovic is going for his 7th major title. Oh, and coming into this match he's lost to Murray 7 times. What does it all mean???
Fan favorite Mohamed Lahyani is in the umpire's chair for his first Wimbledon men's final. That's great to see.
Djokovic will serve first.
Ready? Play.
Pre-match
No. 1 Novak Djokovic and No. 2 Andy Murray will meet in the Wimbledon final on Sunday. The match, televised by ESPN, is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET.
Djokovic, the 2011 champion, is seeking his second Wimbledon title and seventh Grand Slam title. The 26-year-old Serb didn't lose a set in his first five matches before outlasting Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (6-8), 6-3 in a high-qualify semifinal on Friday. Djokovic improved to 19-7 in five-set matches with his four-hour, 43-minute victory, the longest semifinal in Wimbledon history.
"He never really has any letdowns physically, which he used to when he was younger," Murray said of Djokovic. "That's something that's changed a lot over the last few years."
Murray has advanced to his second Wimbledon final in a row, having lost last year to Roger Federer. The 26-year-old from Scotland is trying to become the first British man to win the title since Fred Perry in 1936. Murray rallied from two sets down to beat unseeded Fernando Verdasco in the quarterfinals and came back from one set down to defeat No. 24 Jerzy Janowicz in the semifinals.
