Most surprising Moments from 2012 Tennis season: Part Two – Tennis Special
2. Andy Murray winning the Grand Slam for Britain after 76 years
Ranked third in the ATP World Tour Rankings, Andy Murray was the only British contender to bring home the Grand Slam title after 76 years. He successfully bagged the win after Fred Perry and now the champion aims to top the world
rankings.
Earlier in the year, the young British challenger secured the Olympic gold medal and gave a remarkable defeat to the reigning world number one, Roger Federer, in the final round. He battled against the higher ranked Serbian number
one, Novak Djokovic, in the semi-final to give him an absolute shocker. His home Olympics surely served for his advantage and he struggled hard to prevail over the overpowering odds. His performance drastically enhanced, manifesting his superior run of form
by attaining a silver medal in the mixed doubles category with compatriot, Laura Robson.
In the meanwhile, the 25-year-old also contested for the Western and Southern Open 2012 held at the hard courts of the Cincinnati, United States. He lost after the third round at the hands of the French underdog, Jeremy Chardy,
as he had to face a tough battle at the London Olympics.
As the young Scot was plagued with injury, his situation was in deep waters for the Grand Slam Championship held at the hard courts of New York, United States. However, Murray had to encounter tough competition as he battled against
all the living tennis legends. He managed to contest until the final and faced a hard deal at the hands of the Serbian tennis ace, Djokovic. The two players battled hard to secure the lead and after constantly battling, he conquered the five-setter and stamped
the historical moment for Great Britain.
Murray had never won a Grand Slam in his career and was amongst the lesser contenders for the title but his victory completely silenced his critics. Many believe that his performance improved to a great deal with the arrival of
his new coach, Ivan Lendl. He understands Murray’s game and the young player’s sentiments after losing a streak of Grand Slam title opportunities, irrespective of his hard work. He had assisted him to play with a more relaxed pace and develop the compassion
for the sport. Murray had to face a great deal of pressure after the fourth set against Djokovic but Lendl facilitated him preserve his control and go forward with a proactive mandate.
Lendl told the media: “I said to him, 'A loss is a loss; and a loss is not a loss. You learn from certain losses and become depressed from other ones. When you have losses, when you put it all out there and go hard, you can be
proud of yourself. And you can learn from it, and that is really important.”
The former world number two had a great deal of luck attached to him, which brought the zeal to fight back. He had his stage clear after the unfortunate withdrawal of the Rafael Nadal due to a plagued knee and Federer, who is suffering
from a declining pace after clinching the Wimbledon Championships. In the semi-finals of the US Open Murray was drawn against the lower ranked Czech professional, Tomas Berdych. He could certainly not handle the wind against the British number one and gifted
him win without any hindrance. On the other hand, he is surely the New Yorkers’ favourite, as the win against the former Grand Slam Champion was a phenomenal feat for times to come.
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