“We couldn’t have done more than we did, we did the maximum of of our potential”, she said. “I decided way back at the beginning of the year”. Given how the younger Williams usually responds to setbacks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see her in fine form at the year’s last Grand Slam tournament.
Advertisement
Swiss star Martina Hingis had to settle for silver as her and Timea Bacsinszky were beaten to gold 6-4 6-4 by Russians Ekaterina Makarova and Elena Vesnina. He obviously played at times tonight extremely well. In these Games both she and Venus Williams leave as silver-medalists in their respective fields. Though the players traded service breaks throughout the match, Murray proved more consistent in the end. His euphoric doubles win with his friend Marc Lopez was the highlight for him at these Games. “I have played in the finals of all the Slams this year and I want to have a good one this year in NY”. But the Spaniard earned a doubles gold and just missed a singles medal.
Both Murray and Del Potro, who also took bronze in this event in 2012, both joined Charles Winslow of South Africa and British Josiah Ritchie on a record two Olympic medals in the men’s singles. It was spectacular tennis.
Burying his head in his towel, Murray shook with emotion as the Olympic podium was hastily assembled, and dozens of photographers swarmed the net like camera-wielding hornets jostling for place. “So many ups and downs”.
He ended up dropping the final three games to a relentless Murray, who pushed and pulled the tempo of this match whenever Del Potro couldn’t find a way to hurt him with his legendary forehand.
But the 30-year-old did not go down meekly, fighting back from 2-5 down in the second set to push the play-off into a decider.
Instead he made it to the final, playing before a raucous pro-Argentine crowd that treated the match more like a soccer game, chanting, screaming and repeatedly forcing the chair umpire to plead for them to behave. It was tennis played at the highest level and often the audience had no idea which way it would go.
Del Potro praised the Argentine fans, dressed in the sky blue of their national football team, as well as Brazilian spectators who are never traditionally that warm to their bitter neighbours.
The Scot – the No.2 ranked tennis player in the world – had won the gold in the event in London in 2012, beating Roger Federer in straight sets.
A lot can happen in a match, too, and Sunday’s was a four-hour-long roller-coaster ride, with Murray grabbing the early momentum, then giving it back, only to regain it again. They each separately moved to their chairs and buried their faces in their towels, in tears.
Afterward, both mentioned how exhausted they were after playing for the fourth consecutive day. I suffered when I wasn’t able to play and today tennis is making me very happy again. “I had to fight unbelievably hard tonight to get it”.
Advertisement
Murray has been snubbed for a knighthood in the past, but perhaps with two gold medals, he will be reconsidered.
