Andy Murray conquers Novak Djokovic to emerge Wimbledon champion

Andy Murray kisses the long-cherished trophy at the Centre Court of Wimbledon

A favourite summer pastime in the south of London can finally be laid to rest, along with the ghost that played protagonist. After dancing with the shadow of Fred Perry for 77 long years, the British finally have a male Wimbledon champion baked on the Isles and served hot.

Andy Murray finally manned up to the pressure of winning the big prize, when he took apart Novak Djokovic in a three-set battle that was nothing short of brutal. The British embraced their moment of emancipation with obvious delight after Murray took three hours and nine minutes to outlast the fighting Serbian 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 to wrap his aching arms around the magnificent Challenge Cup.

The final lacked the drama of some of the contests in the previous years, but made up for it with the intensity and quality of rallies that unfolded between two men, both at the peak of their powers. Murray took shelter in one of his big strengths – returning nearly 85% of the serves thrown at him by Djokovic – to keep his opponent under constant pressure till he wilted under the weight of the Scot’s relentlessness.

There were thirty break points in the three sets, rather unusual for a Wimbledon final of just three sets. Murray converted 7 of his 17 chances, while saving 9 of 13 chances on his own serve to sail past a difficult opponent.

Djokovic made nearly twice as many errors as Murray (40-21) to hurt himself in the critical moments of the match.

The two men gave the packed Centre Court a flavour of what might follow, launching into a five-minute first game with verve and venom. The first rally lasted 19 strokes before Djokovic went wide with his response. Two more errors left him facing three break points, but the stutter got Djokovic to bring out his best serving arsenal to win five in a row and avoid an inauspicious beginning.

Murray enjoyed a fourth break point when he stepped in and struck a backhand winner from mid-court to get another look in. The Serbian responded by going after Murray in a 25-stroke rally that lifted the match into a lofty orbit, just in the third game. And Murray, after much labour, converted the seventh break point with a backhand up the line winner to go 2-1 after twenty intense minutes on the most celebrated court in tennis.

Djokovic, though, has the best returns in the game and he paid back with interest without too much delay. The Serbian broke Murray in the next game before holding comfortably to take a 3-2 lead. Murray had the first really easy game, when he held to love in the next game. The set took another twist, when he played an aggressive return game to run up 0-40 before converting this time with a thundering return winner at the second time of asking.

Even as the intensity threatened to turn the grass brown, the two men battled toe-to-toe, Murray seeking to protect his break with zealous energy. Murray went out wide to force the return wide from Djokovic to gain three set points in the tenth game.

Eventually, it took an hour and a sweat-drenched kit for Murray to swing the first set his way after exactly an hour.

It took rather long but when Djokovic finally served his first ace, it gave him game point for a 2-1 lead in the second set. Djokovic hammered away with his forehand, forcing the error from Murray to clinch the third game. Buoyed by the easy hold, Djokovic threw in a forehand drop to gain an opening at 15-30 in the next game.

The two had already played out a 32 stroke rally earlier, and another 30 stroke rally ended in Djokovic’s favour to offer him break point. Murray punched the net with his forehand to offer the break to Djokovic, who went up 3-1. The seventh game was already a thrilling battle, when Murray upped the ante with a smouldering forehand cross court winner on the run to earn a third break point.

The Wimbledon final, mercifully for the British crowd, turned out to be an anti-climatic final between the world’s best two in the world

The crowd erupted in a boisterous roar when Djokovic landed another forehand in the net to be broken in the eleventh game. Moments earlier, the Serbian lost his cool when he argued with the chair over a baseline call since he had already run out of challenges. Hawkeye suggested it was in anyways, but an incensed Djokovic dumped one in the net to offer a decisive break point. Murray took control of the match, sealing the set with his ninth ace.

Henri Cochet was the last man ever to work his way back from a two-set deficit in a Wimbledon final, the musketeer doing so against his good mate Jean Borotra in 1927. There was no such camaraderie between Djokovic and Murray and he was left with a mountain to surmount all by himself. The match was already a mighty effort with the first set taking an hour and the second lasting six more than that.

Djokovic needed a solid start to his third set, but got off to a disaster when he was broken in the first game when Murray forced the error with a power packed forehand. Murray held confidently to take a 2-0 lead to have the greatest prize of his life firmly on his racket. But Djokovic is not the kind of man to allow matters to slip entirely out of his hands.

The world No.1 put a twist in the tale, when he picked off a drop shot and produced a cross court winner of brilliant pedigree to earn a break point in the third game. Djokovic got the set back on serve when Murray sent his response wide while the duo duelled at the net. The set swung towards Djokovic when Murray made consecutive errors off either flank to gift a second break in the sixth game.

Djokovic had taken four straight games to 4-2, but Murray played a resilient seventh game to halt the momentum. A fabulous backhand cross court winner earned Murray two valuable points to bring the set back on serve. Djokovic saved the first, but Murray packed too much power on the next point to wrest the initiative back from his resurgent opponent.

In the ninth game, Murray did a 360-degree turn around the ball to defeat Djokovic at the net to force the issue on the Serbian’s serve. Murray earned two break points when he passed Djokovic with a blistering forehand struck on the run. Djokovic, looking spent, dumped a forehand in the net to surrender a vital break.

Serving for the Championship, Djokovic invited Murray to the net with another drop shot and the Scot didn’t disappoint swinging a forehand winner up the line to get within two points of a maiden Wimbledon title. Djokovic mishit a return on the next point to offer three points for the Championships to the man from Scotland.

Djokovic nailed a backhand volley at the net to 40-15 and followed it with a typically characteristic backhand return winner to nullify the second. Murray flailed a forehand long and all three points melted away in the hot British Sun.

The tension was mounting all around as the game reached a third deuce point, when Djokovic made a sensational cross court winner off the half volley to earn a third break point. Memories of Djokovic returning from the dead against Roger Federer started playing out, especially at the sight of that backhand return winner. But Murray steadied himself to force deuce for a fourth time.

A brilliant rally ensued, Murray defending as if his life depended on it before forcing the error with a powerful forehand from the middle of the court to earn a fourth Championship point. The match ended in a collective roar of the British pride, when Djokovic sank the ball in the net on the next point to leave Murray clenching both fists in a moment of immense relief and great joy.

It wasn’t one of those great finals, but the outcome made it a memorable event. The sight of Murray collecting a second grand slam trophy and the one that really mattered is bound to be received with great fondness all around the tennis world. For a country that has given us some of the most memorable tennis over the years, we owe the British their lap of victory. It has been after all too long in the making.