Andy Murray Wins Wimbledon to End British Wait

In front of a packed Centre Court crowd and searing temperatures, Andy Murray did the unthinkable and won Wimbledon yesterday, beating Novak Djokovic in straight sets. It ended a 36-year wait for a British winner and amazingly is the first time a British man has won the prestigious tournament for 77 years.

Coming into the match Murray not only had the world number 1 facing him, but also the nation's expectations on his shoulders. As well as the 15,000 spectators packed into Centre Court, a further 4,000 were sat on ‘Murray Mount' (surely this can replace ‘Henman Hill' now?!) and a huge 17.3 million British people watching at home- making it the most watched TV moment of 2013.

As the players came out to warm up, on court temperatures reached a staggering 50^oC (122F)- one of the hottest Wimbledon finals on record. Whilst the players may be used to playing in these sort of temperatures in the US and Australian Opens, the British crowd were certainly not. St John Ambulance revealed that they treated 79 fans inside Wimbledon for heat related ailments during the final, including dehydration, sunburn and heat exhaustion.

Gruelling Rallies

Watch the highlights of the match:

The players though appeared to have no such problem with the heat, and started the match at a blistering pace. Even in the first game, rallies were regularly lasting more than 20 shots, with both players renowned for their defensive play. Murray was forcing break points on every one of Djokovic's service games and despite missing a number of chances, he eventually took the first set 6-4 after a gruelling hour of play.

The second set however was a different story. After breaking Murray, Djokovic forced his way to a 4-1 lead, with the Scot 15-30 down on his serve and really struggling. However, with the crowd noise growing to unbelievable levels, Murray showed the sort of resilience that has come to characterise his career, storming back to take the set 7-5. It was a similar story in the third set; Djokovic raced to a 4-2 lead, only for Murray to win four games in a row and claim a historic victory and a prize cheque for a cool £1.6 million.

Murray's win really cannot be overstated. Wimbledon is such an indelible part of British sporting life and for no British man to have won the tournament for so long, has been a source of national embarrassment. Such is the significance of his victory that it may not be long before we are referring to him as Sir Andy Murray, after Prime Minister David Cameron said: "I can't think of anyone who deserves a knighthood more". 

To give you an idea of quite what a long time 77 years is in sport, watch the highlights of the last time a British man won Wimbledon- Fred Perry in 1936:

Famous Supporters

The Wimbledon final is one of the sporting events on the social calendar for celebrities. The Royal Box is always stuffed full of famous faces and yesterday was no exception. From the entertainment industry there was Victoria Beckham, presenter Jonathan Ross, Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, and actors Bradley Cooper & Gerard Butler. They were joined by Wayne & Colleen Rooney, as well as politicians David Cameron and Ed Miliband.

Traditionally members of the royal family will attend the final, though with Prince Philip ill, Kate Middleton expecting her baby any day and Prince Harry in Afghanistan, it was left to Zara Phillips to provide a splash of royalty.

More to Come for Murray

After claiming his first Wimbledon title and second Grand Slam trophy of his career, big things are expected of Murray over the next 5 years.

With Rodger Federer starting to show the effects of his age and Rafa Nadal struggling with injuries, Murray and Djokovic will be the favourites for most big tournaments in the foreseeable future.

One thing is for sure: the British public are certainly hoping that they won't have to wait another 77 years for a British men's Wimbledon winner.

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