LONDON: Andy Murray stood with the Union Jack draped over his shoulders, an Olympic gold medal around his neck, flanked by the man he had just beaten, Roger Federer, and basking in the roar of the Centre Court crowd.
No wonder the often dour Scotsman was grinning.
Murray clinched a gold for the home team on Sunday by beating Federer 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 in the tennis final at Wimbledon.
The victory marked a career breakthrough for Murray. He has lost all four of his Grand Slam finals, three against Federer, including Wimbledon, a month ago.
“I’ve had a lot of tough losses in my career,” he said. “This is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final. I’ll never forget it.”
For Federer, the drubbing marked another Olympic disappointment. Playing in the games for the fourth time, he sought a victory to complete a career Golden Slam but settled for silver – his first singles medal.
“He was much better than I was today,” Federer said. “But still I’m very happy with the silver.”
Murray swept nine consecutive games to take control, breaking Federer’s serve four times in a row, his inspired play a reflection of raucous crowd support. He erased all nine break points he faced.
The match capped the most memorable Olympics moment for tennis since its return to the Games in 1988, after a 64-year hiatus. The event transformed staid Wimbledon into a festive place.
Murray became the first British man to win the gold in singles since Josiah Ritchie in 1908. Those Games took place in Wimbledon, too.
The roof opened shortly before the men’s final, and the beloved Federer – winner of seven Wimbledon titles – walked onto the sun-splashed grass to a standing ovation. Then Murray entered, and the roar tripled.
At the far end of the All England Club, thousands of fans with grounds passes enjoyed a carnival atmosphere on the picnic hill known as Murray Mount while watching the match on a huge video screen.
Federer wore red and Murray blue in the most colorful tournament ever held at Wimbledon. Their tactics were also in sharp contrast.
Murray returned aggressively to repeatedly put on Federer on the defensive when serving. Federer tried to come forward more than in any match this summer, but Murray answered with a succession of crisp passing shots for winners.
“I felt so fresh,” he said. “I didn’t feel nervous really at all, apart from at the beginning of the match.”
The fans loved it, waving British flags of all sizes. “An-dy! An-dy” they chanted. They applauded when Federer won a point, but they roared when Murray won one.
“Andy looked like he was never doubting himself,” Federer said. “He had a clear plan.”
Federer, taxed by his 19-17 third-set semifinal win on Friday over Juan Martin del Potro, couldn’t summon the required comeback. Murray hurried to the finish line, winning the final set in 33 minutes.
Meanwhile, Del Potro of Argentina won the bronze in men’s single, beating Novak Djokovic of Serbia 7-5, 6-4. Djokovic had won bronze four years ago, in Beijing. (AP)