MATT Little, Andy Murray’s long-term fitness trainer, reckons that getting the Scot through the clay and grass court seasons without any injury niggles is as big a success as the 29-year-old lifting the trophy itself.
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Sunday’s final was Murray’s first where he wasn’t up against Roger Federer or Novak Djokovic and while he expected to come up against either of those two, or Rafael Nadal, in future events, he said he could improve further and add more silverware.
But The Scotsman has mastered the art of post-match celebrations beautifully now, and he put his chops on display at SW19 after trumping Canada’s Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) on Sunday for his third career major title and second at Wimbledon.
“This one will sting a bit. I know that he will come back strong from this because of the player he is”.
Raonic came into the final with a tournament-high 154 aces, averaging more than 20 per match.
Those painful defeats made victory all the more sweet for the Scot. The second-seeded British player repeatedly managed to make returns off serves of more than 130 mph and 140 mph, including that 147 mph delivery in the first set. “That’s what these two guys, especially, do”.
Andy Murray lived up to the sky-high expectations when beating Canadian Milos Raonic in the Wimbledon final on Sunday, telling CNBC the day after that he felt “really good, a little exhausted but very, very happy”. “But I don’t believe him”. I was keeping up with him. “I’ve got to carry that through to the next events”.
It is the morning after the night out before and the new Wimbledon champion is back at the scene of his latest triumph. “Wasn’t even close. Missed into the middle of the net”. “And having won here again, it gives me a big lift, hopefully through to the end of this year and beyond, that I can win some more Slams”. To do it here in front of the people I love, my friends and family, my coaches, with so much support. Federer was then beaten by Raonic in five sets in the semifinals. They obliged. Murray saved two break points in the third set when serving at 2-2.
Murray was having none of it, taking advantage of a slightly fortuitous early break to surge ahead with some magnificent defence and a rasping backhand victor. “The emotion is from thinking about the journey since the last time he won a slam and how much work everyone has put in despite all the change and all of the adversity that comes along with it”. “That was probably the most clear look I had”.
Britain’s Heather Watson teamed up with Henri Kontinen of Finland to win the Wimbledon mixed doubles crown and give her country its second title at the Grand Slam Sunday.
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Raonic is also in pole position to compete at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in November, having risen to No. 3 in the Emirates ATP Race to London rankings.
