THE 72-year wait for a British male grand slam tennis champion will have to continue, but perhaps not for long. Andy Murray lost 6-2, 7-5, 6-2 to a resurgent Roger Federer in the final of the US Open last night, but on the evidence of his two weeks in New York it will not be long before the Scot gets another chance to make history.
Click here for video coverage of the US OpenClick here to view the transcript of The Scotsman's Live Blog of the matchMurray picked up $1 million for his achievement – $750,000 prize money as runner-up, and another $250,000 for finishing second in the US Open hardcourt series – but that will be small consolation for the 21-year-old from Dunblane, who will be desperate to return to a grand slam final having come so close to glory.
Playing the man regarded as one of the greatest players ever to pick up a racket may not be the textbook definition of a good chance to win a grand slam but nothing is ever straight forward with Murray. Throughout these two weeks he has shown the ability to overturn the form-books – beating Rafael Nadal in the semi final – and overcome everything from Tropical Storm Hanna to his own nerves as he approached his ultimate goal.
When Federer reached the final, he claimed that the pressure was finally off him. After a poor year by his standards, just getting to the final was enough to cheer his spirits. Once there, he expected to meet Nadal who he knew was tired and who he knew had never played a major final as the top seed before. But then Murray beat Nadal and everything changed.
Now it was Murray who had not a care in the world. He was the young man with a big future while Federer was the man with a reputation to defend. All Murray had to do was concentrate on the ball in front of him and let his talent do the rest. That, though, is not as simple as it sounds.
As the trophies have been prised from his grasp one by one this year, included his treasured No1 ranking, Federer has appeared edgy and uncertain. The most assured player on the planet had suddenly lost his mantle of invincibility and he looked naked without it.
Yet during his stay in New York, he has shown flashes of the old Federer, the majestic Federer. He did it against Novak Djokovic in the semi final and he showed it last night against Murray. It took just 10 minutes before Federer started to pile on the pressure, earning his first break point. He was aggressive, he was camped out at the net and he dared the Scot to pass him. Murray sensed the danger and responded but Federer had thrown down the gauntlet. He had lost everything else to Nadal and Djokovic this year – he was not going to lose his US Open crown to yet another youngster.
Knowing exactly what sort of problems Murray could cause him, Federer had to be at his best from the start if he was to squash the Scot's hopes. And he was at his best. Murray may love New York and has formed a new relationship with the crowd on the Arthur Ashe stadium, but Federer has made the place his own over the past four years. He had not been beaten here since 2003 and he was in no mood to let the Scot spoil that record.
Murray did what he could do get a toehold in the match but Federer was simply too good. Murray served well enough, he was hitting his ground strokes well enough – and creating some spectacular winners out of lost causes – but he could not get anywhere near Federer's serve. And once Federer broke Murray for the first time, taking a 4-2 lead as Murray put a forehand wide, he took a stranglehold on proceedings. He loves to be a front runner and this time he galloped away with the first set in just 27 minutes.
Within the twinkling of an eye, Murray was a set and a break down and he appeared to be receiving end of a hiding. But it was as if the sheer level of the thrashing was enough to rid him of any pressure or nerves.
He began to unravel the Federer serve, winning seven consecutive points on it to break back and put himself within touching distance of taking the lead in the set. Only a bad line call – or lack of a call – cost him the second break of serve. Instead of stopping in mid-rally to query the Federer backhand that was eventually shown by TV to have been out, Murray opted to play on and argue his case later. But by then it was too late.
As Federer claimed the second set with a roar of delight, Murray was facing a huge task. To come back from two sets down is hard enough but to do it in the US Open and against Federer at his peak is asking for the impossible. Murray made the Swiss wait for his victory, breaking serve as the champion tried to close out the match, but it was only delaying the inevitable. After one hour and 52 minutes, Federer clinched his 13th Grand Slam title, one behind record holder Pete Sampras.
The full article contains 919 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
