Roger Federer lifts the Wimbledon 2012 men’s singles trophy
The background
Roger Federer won the Wimbledon 2012 men’s singles final, breaking British hearts by denying Andy Murray the chance to become the first homegrown champion since Fred Perry in 1936.
The 30-year-old Swiss player took his total Grand Slam wins to 17 and returned to the top of the world rankings. Murray, 25, was visibly emotional after the match, thanking fans for their support and heaping praise on his opponent.
In the women’s tournament, Serena Williams returned from serious illness to claim victory in both the singles and the doubles, playing in the latter with sister Venus.
Murray should be proud of his efforts
“[Murray] is already a champion, even if he has no crown, because his performance was as good a losing effort as these championships have seen since Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in 2008,” wrote Kevin Mitchell in The Guardian. Murray played exceptionally well in the opening sets, but Federer is, after all, a “genius”.
“Was it my best chance? I don’t know. I lost to a guy that’s now won this tournament seven times and is number one in the world,” Andy Murray told the BBC.
When talent meets genius
“Sixteen grand slam titles played zero grand slam titles here. And it showed, in Federer’s tactical mastery,” said Paul Hayward in The Telegraph. “Murray was as good as he could be. Federer was the master we always knew he was.” According to Hayward, the problem for Murray when it comes to Wimbledon is that he will most likely always have to face one of the big three in the final: Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. And these players are in a league of their own.
Federer is fantastic but fallible
“It’s been two and a half years since Federer’s lifted a championship trophy, and in the meantime Djokovic and Nadal have ascended to the top,” pointed out Sujay Kumar at The Daily Beast. In recent years, Federer has appeared human and fallible, after some high-profile losses. “As Federer took Centre Court against Andy Murray in the championship match, he wasn’t the same, invincible person he was years ago. But he still played spoiler to the hometown hero,” Kumar wrote.
And in other news: A Brit did win Wimbledon 2012
“Oh, by the way, there was a British men’s Wimbledon champion this year,” a Times (£) editorial reminded readers. Jonny Marray became the first British player to win the Wimbledon men’s doubles since 1936. “Jonny Marray got a wild card into the tournament. His Danish partner, Freddie Nielsen, became the first Dane to win a Wimbledon title. So, a Wimbledon fairytale after all.”
Watch Andy Murray’s emotional speech after the Wimbledon 2012 men’s singles final.
