The diary entry of an Andy Murray fan

The morning was such bliss; clear blue skies, birds chirping, but hold on, none of these things actually fascinated me, the only thing that mattered was Murray taking on Federer. The day has finally come when a Brit has made it to the Wimbledon final. Now, when was the last time this happened? Ummm…. I seriously can’t remember. Is it old age creeping in or has it really been that long? Anyways, I am pretty much ready for the finals (more so than Murray is) with my Union jack in the bag along with an umbrella and a ‘GO MURRAY! WE BELIEVE’ banner.

There is always a royal feeling that you get when you enter the All England tennis club, but this time it was more of anticipation, curiosity and a little bit of fear. Fear because this according to me was Andy’s best chance of winning it against the old and worn out Federer. *Gulping a huge tear*. Sorry about that. Now where was I? Oh yeah – Andy’s chances. They were looking as bright and lively as his girlfriend; at some level we all wonder how he got that gorgeous woman to partner him. But coming back to the final, I always believed that it was now or never for Murray.

It took us (my family and me) almost an hour to get into Centre Court and my son was really excited to see David Beckham with his fancy mushy little beard. I have been trying a fancy beard myself, but my wife says it makes me look like a terrorist. And you know how these women are – you just can’t get into an argument with them.

Finally we grabbed our seats and I was pretty sure that we were in for a treat. I was sure that this match would go the distance not because I had paid 42k pounds for a ticket but because the players were so evenly matched. Okay I will stop lying, it was because I had paid that freakishly high amount. Nevertheless, I was at Centre Court hoping to witness history be made before my eyes. The Centre Court had a lot of dignitaries for the final, ranging from princess Kate to Sir Alex Ferguson.

The match began with Murray running Federer all around the court. The crisp forehands were finally catching the lines and the backhand was rock solid as ever. The crowd started to get involved into the match and I along with my kids was waving the Union Jack and shouting encouragements to Murray (of course the hooting took place only between the points). People always tend to criticise the spectators who shout out loud between points or when the players are just about to begin the point. Well, doing that is actually a lot of fun, if you know what I mean. ;)

Murray was in firm control of the match and me and my family were already making plans of going to the London Eye to celebrate the victory. But then, lightning struck us when Federer played two deft volleys to snatch the second set from Murray. The 80-pound beef sandwich that my son was eating slipped of his hand when he watched Murray drop the 2nd set.

Then came the rain and out came the umbrellas, and I was really happy because it was me who had forced my wife to get the umbrellas. She thought that it would remain sunny all day. Silly woman! It feels so good to be right. The roof came on in a while and the battle resumed. Federer came out as a different opponent now. He was hitting through the line and demolishing Murray, and with that our dreams too. Slowly but surely, the Murray ship was sinking and with it were sinking a million Brit fans and their hope. Federer won the third set and never looked in danger in the fourth. It was as if he was given a tonic during the rain break.

After around a three-hour match, it was Federer who stood at match point and all our dreams were shattered and smashed. Federer won his 7th Wimbledon and the we were left gazing at the sky, wondering when our moment would come. If the match wasn’t a big enough roller coaster, the presentation ceremony surely was. I think the pressure on Andy was huge. He has been carrying the weight of expectations for a long time now. But as a famous tennis star (can’t remember the name right now; will Google it later), this sort of pressure is felt only by the privileged.

I surely did shed a tear when Andy got emotional and was choking on tears at the presentation. He was sad not for himself, but for us. In a way he felt that he had let his country down but I think he has made us all the more proud now. We have a fighting tennis star who cares for his fans, plays for them and most importantly loves them.

We love you Andy and I am sure that day is not far behind when I read the newspapers saying that ‘Another grand slam in the bag for the Fighting Brit’. You make us proud and give us added reasons to watch this beautiful game. The match was worth every penny of those 42k pounds. Trust me.