Murray has been for long the less accomplished member of the so called Big Four who have all won the Career Grand Slam and at least a dozen slams.
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Murray, the local favourite, topped the 25-year-old Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) to capture his second Wimbledon title and third major championship.
Thank you for reading and relying on TulsaWorld.com for your news and information. I don’t feel like that just now – I’m just looking forward to the next time I see Sophia and Kim.
“Last time it was just pure relief, and I didn’t really enjoy the moment as much, whereas I’m going to make sure I enjoy this one more than the others”.
“Obviously having a daughter changes your perspective on things, and it’s something that obviously you want to make her proud as well, so I’m playing for something a bit different now”, he said after the win.
His semi-final win over seven-times Wimbledon champion Roger Federer, from two sets to one down, was a milestone success, while in the last 16 he had battled back from two sets down for the first time in his career to beat Belgian David Goffin.
Murray also took 50 of 65 points he served across the first two sets, not only never facing so much as a break point in that span but also being pushed to deuce merely once.
Stat of the Day: 8 – Aces for Raonic, who entered the final averaging 25½ per match in the tournament.
“I’m going to work on everything”, Raonic said.
Murray was even asked by a reporter during Wimbledon how it felt being Britain’s “last hope”, a question he dismissed by wryly replying, “It’s not that bad, is it?” But I still feel like my best tennis is ahead of me, that I have an opportunity to win more. “It’s an impossible job”. Murray only failed to return 26 percent of Raonic’s serves, meaning the Canadian had to work far harder than usual to hold serve.
Murray once again was exquisite in storming to a 6-1 lead and clinched the championship when Raonic sent a backhand into the net.
In a rush of blood to the head, Raonic came to the net off a weak approach and Murray gleefully fired back the ball to induce the crucial error.
Murray backed up the break for 5-3 before Raonic took the ninth game in which he fired his first ace of the final. Raonic came in having won a tour-leading 20 tiebreakers this season, dropping only six.
Murray’s first serve percentage was running at 70 percent for most of the match, dipping slightly to 67 percent by the end.
That included the second-set tiebreaker, when Raonic missed an easy forehand volley on the first point and then failed to put away a smash to fall behind 4-1.
Murray won the first two sets 6-4, 7-6 (3). While that’s a subjective accounting, anyone watching and listening could plainly tell that he was striking the ball cleanly and confidently, a crisp thwack resonating as racket strings hit ball, much more often than not putting shots right where intended.
“I played really good stuff today”.
Those three recent setbacks came without Ivan Lendl by his side, though.
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Aside from Raonic’s previous Grand Slam semifinal loss to Murray in this year’s Australian Open, it was a pretty even playing ground between the two tennis stars.
