Andy Murray won his second Wimbledon title by beating Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) on Centre Court.
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Finally, at 2-all in the third, Raonic got to 15-40 for his first – and, it turned out, only – break points, thanks to a forehand return victor off an 82 miles per hour second serve.
The 25-year-old Raonic, seeded No. 6, became the first Canadian man in history to advance to the final of a Grand Slam tournament. Raonic avenged a Wimbledon semifinal loss to Federer in straight sets two years ago. But Murray said, “I’m aware I’ll have to play a very good match if I want to win Wimbledon”.
“I’m not trying to put him in a box… and have him be an objective observer of the match and wear two hats”, said Jamie Reynolds, an ESPN vice-president overseeing coverage of the tennis tournament.
“The stress and the pressure meant I didn’t get to enjoy it so much”.
“I’ve had some great moments here and some tough moments so the win feels extra special because of those tough losses…”
However Raonic then stepped up to the plate, taking the last two sets of the match 7-5, 6-3 to record what is no doubt the best win of his career to date.
Scotland’s Andy Murray won his second Wimbledon title, beating Canadian Milos Raonic in Sunday’s final. I don’t think he’d be doing this job if he didn’t believe in me and believe that I could do it.
Another grand slam tournament, another final but for Andy Murray there is nothing routine about playing for the sport’s greatest prizes.
Eugenie Bouchard of Westmount, Que., is the only Canadian female to play in a Grand Slam singles final.
The decision made a lot of sense as the most productive phase in Murray’s career – winning the US Open in 2012 and Wimbledon in 2013, as well as the Olympic gold for Britain in the 2012 London Games – came under the guidance of Lendl and his experience can prove vital for the Brit in his preparation to defend his gold next month in Rio.
He has contested the final of every grand slam this year and is on an 11-match winning streak on grass – a run coinciding with his reunion with former coach Ivan Lendl.
But if, for once, the dice seem to have rolled nicely for Murray, with his big rivals taken out by other players, there is no doubt Raonic poses a big threat.
“I feel happier this time, I feel more content and I feel like this victory was more for myself and my team, who have worked so hard to get me in this position”.
“I obviously would have loved to have won more already but the guys that I’ve been playing against have won lots”.
Raonic was limited to eight aces in all, only one more than Murray.
Raonic said McEnroe had helped make him more vocal on court, and encouraged him to “leave it all out there”.
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“The information I get from him, the psychological help that I get from having him around, being able to chat to him, makes a difference”.
