Andy Murray silences his critics again, this time for good, with Wimbledon victory

Some things about Murray’s game remain stubbornly underwhelming. His second serve is still a bit of a powder puff shot, his reluctance to go down the line with his backhand often prolongs points unnecessarily, and his tendency to descend into self-abuse at every missed shot continues to make the sport look less like a form of entertainment and more like a tool of torture. But just like he did at the US Open, Murray won despite these deficiencies, which makes me think: if these flaws couldn’t stop him in London and New York, is there any reason to expect them to do so elsewhere?

The match today may have lacked the quality of the final last year or even the thrill of Murray’s first Major triumph at the US Open, but it certainly didn’t lack in drama. There was history on the line and a noisy, biased crowd to witness that potentially epoch-making moment, which made the whole afternoon seem a bit like a wild, carnival-like coronation.

All of the drama reached a crescendo in the final game, with Murray serving for the championship at 5-4 in the third set. He reached three match points at 40-0, and the applause in the stadium almost brought the Centre Court roof down. Of course, that was precisely the moment that Djokovic decided to really wake up. Suddenly, the Serb couldn’t miss; blazing returns and blistering forehands erupted all over Murray, and before the crowd could collectively take in their breath, Murray was facing break point.

Novak Djokovic rushing to congratulate Andy Murray after the match

If Djokovic had managed to break Murray in that game, we might have been extolling him for the greatest come-from-behind victory of his career right now. But Murray’s maturity as a player and performer were exemplified to perfection in the way he reacted to the situation. He remained calm, about as calm as I’ve ever seen him be, took his time to shake off the nerves, and remained perfectly, courageously steady with his play. Yes, his second serve became even slower and loopier than normal in that critical game, but he put it in the box and refused to throw away a point, and that’s all that matters in hindsight.

Two more break points came and went after that first one, and eventually Murray found his way to championship point for a 4th time. And all this while, he remained calm, even as the crowd were going bananas. It was a kaleidoscope of emotions: Murray trying his hardest to keep his nerves in control, and the spectators trying their best to audibly will him to the finish line.

This time, he didn’t miss the first serve, and the shot that had worked brilliantly for him all match (Murray won 72% of his first serve points, which is pretty high when facing a returning of the ilk of Djokovic) worked for him again: a rally that he took control of from the first ball ended with a Djokovic backhand going long. The crowd exploded, and Murray was the Wimbledon champion. Now that is an image those affable Brits are not going to forget for a long time.

That last game of the match was, in many ways, emblematic of Murray’s journey towards the fulfillment of his lifelong goal. The journey has been anything but straightforward, and it is fitting that it culminated in a moment bursting to the seams with wild cheers, intense doubts and brilliant tennis.

Murray’s performance today was a representation of everything that makes him a great tennis player, and also perhaps of everything that makes his critics so vocal in their disapproval of him. He still plays the kind of reactive tennis that so many thought was not good enough to win a Slam, and he still takes every opportunity to berate himself when things go even slightly wrong. How can any of that be part of the healthy, confident game that is required of a champion?

We might never know the answer to that, but more importantly, we might not need to. Murray is a two-time Grand Slam champion now, and his doubters and critics can, for the moment at least, take a well-deserved hike.