Whereas top players used to once put off having families till their careers were in decline or over so that they did not lose focus, on Sunday, Murray joined the likes of Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic by becoming the latest father to win a grand slam title when he beat Milos Raonic 6-4 7-6 (3) 7-6 (2) to capture a second Wimbledon title.
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Their achievement eclipsed that of 1936, when Fred Perry led a team of Britons to four Wimbledon titles.
His second Wimbledon title and third Grand Slam victory will bring a different approach. He’ll turn 35 on August 8, and while he did pull off a monumental comeback against Marin Cilic in the quarterfinals, he looked quite vulnerable while losing to Raonic and we still don’t know how badly he might have been injured during a fifth-set fall.
Stan Wawrinka, the 2014 Australian Open and 2015 French Open victor, is still a serious contender at world number five but he is 31.
“I’m going to try to get fitter, stronger”.
“I’m also proud to get my hands on the trophy again as I’m aware of how hard these competitions are to win once”, Murray said. “I did a great thing there”.
But Murray, more experienced and very adept at absorbing the power and serves of men like Raonic, was too much to handle in the end.
For Raonic, who had been hoping to become Canada’s first grand slam singles champion, there were no regrets. This is what Murray is now all about having previously shown his weaknesses – especially in Grand Slam finals where he has a 3-8 record.
“Yeah, he was telling everyone it was allergies”.
He said: “I believe I definitely have that ability within myself”.
“There’s other guys that want it”.
The British number one is unlikely to play in Great Britain’s Davis Cup quarter-final against Serbia on Friday following his Wimbledon win.
After winning his second Wimbledon title, Andy Murray said he was determined to enjoy it more than his maiden victory – and he was true to his word, partying into the night at an exclusive London club. Then it’s on to Rio to defend his Olympic crown.
“I loved the two I was involved in and winning the gold medal made me realise how special it is”.
Murray admitted: “It’s the most important tournament for me every year”.
It was going the same way as his last Wimbledon final but there was one mini-crisis in set three, one which Murray eliminated with the defiance of a natural born victor.
He said: “After Wimbledon the last time, the few months afterwards, motivation was hard”.
“I still get angry, maybe it’s a bit better than it was before, but the nerves are hard to keep in check but you also can’t control your nerves, you can’t just decide not to get nervous”.
Murray will travel to Belgrade even if he does not play because he feels a “responsibility” to the team.
What could have been a blockbuster tie is set to have a much more low-key feel without Murray and Djokovic. I had my best claycourt season.
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“I just spent the last 15-20 minutes with my gran who came to watch yesterday, which was nice”, he said. I think it’s going in a good direction right now, there’s a few players doing well.
