Andy Murray’s watershed year

Few can argue that the summer of 2012 was one of the most memorable in the history of British sport, with the historic London Olympics and Paralympics following Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France triumph and preceding a brilliant, Brit-inspired comeback by Team Europe in the Ryder Cup. But in amongst all the passionate patriotism of the Olympic Stadium and the frenzied atmosphere awaiting Team Sky on the Champs-Elysees, it was a less momentous episode that proved to be one of the most influential.

After his agonising 4-6 7-5 6-3 6-4 defeat to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final in July, Andy Murray broke down in tears during his interview with Sue Barker on the BBC. The world number three, who had become the first British man since Bunny Austin in 1938 to contest the men’s final, had long been regarded as the Marmite figure of British sport due to his tough on-court demeanour and lack of emotion in interviews and post-match press conferences provoking mixed interpretations for supporters. Prior to the 2006 World Cup, Murray famously caused controversy by stating that he would support ‘anyone but England’ in the tournament, and much of the animosity felt towards him since can be related to his strong desire to be considered Scottish, not British.

Nonetheless, the majority of fans were humbled by his moving speech on Centre Court after the Wimbledon defeat. Murray managed to murmur, “I’m going to try this, it’s not going to be easy” before breaking down in tears, and as the camera panned around the packed stadium in the interim, it appeared that every other spectator was experiencing similar pangs of emotion. Murray eventually managed his acceptance speech, and as he passed the microphone to Federer, there was a palpable sense amongst the tennis community that they had just witnessed a watershed moment in the career of the British number one.

Since Murray’s on-court breakdown, the hard-hitting Dunblanite has gone from strength to strength, claiming a precious gold medal in the men’s singles at the Olympics on Centre Court less than a month after his heart-breaking defeat at SW19. His straight sets demolition of Roger Federer was as dominant and professional a display as we had ever seen by Murray before, sweeping the world number two aside with ease to partially exorcise the demons of the Wimbledon final and claim what he then called ‘the biggest win of my career’. With the gold medal round his neck (swiftly followed by a silver, claimed in the mixed doubles alongside Laura Robson), Murray appeared more confident and self-assured in his game and in himself, and the hope that he could carry the Team GB spirit into September and his favourite major, the US Open, was universally held.

Murray’s route to the final in New York was, as always, one of trials and tribulations. A determined fight-back from a set and two breaks down to overcome Marin Cilic in the quarter-finals preceded an epic four-hour encounter with Tomas Berdych that secured his place in a second consecutive final at Flushing Meadows. The deciding clash against Novak Djokovic on September 11th was the first time that British tennis fans genuinely felt Murray was capable of claiming a Grand Slam title and ending a drought of almost 80 years; moreover, with Murray’s tears still fresh in the memory, support was strongly united in favour of the Brit. This faith was greatly shaken after four sets, by which point the Brit had squandered a two-set lead and allowed Djokovic to gain the momentum back after an electric start from Murray. However, the dogged determination and self-belief that had been bolstered by his successful summer saw Murray wrestle the initiative back from the Serb and serve out for the match and the championship, taking the result 7-6 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2 in just under five hours.

Finally, Murray had conquered the unconquerable, securing himself a deserved seat at the top table of tennis and joining an elite list of Grand Slam winners. The journey from blubbering wreck at the beginning of July to US Open champion barely two months later was an exhilarating one, but Murray had finally proved that he had the mettle to be considered the best. Even a semi-final defeat in the year-ending ATP Tour Finals in London earlier this month (ironically at the hands of Djokovic) could not blemish the gleaming accomplishments of Murray in 2012.

So what now for Andy? Many have noted that the imminent return of his tormentor, Rafael Nadal, to the tennis circuit will decrease the likelihood of Murray monopolising the Grand Slams in 2013, and some are still unconvinced about his consistency throughout a season. However, the cliché states that ‘the first one is the hardest’, and with the US Open title under his belt, the Brit will harbour a new found sense of confidence in his attempts to topple the reigning kings of world tennis and become world number one by the end of next year. His relationship with coach Ivan Lendl is proving to be an increasingly fruitful one, with the Czech’s honing of his protégé’s technique and hardening of his mental stability a definitive reason for Murray’s increased success. But more than anything else, future triumph for the Brit will surely lie in the grit and confidence that has come from a year full of highs and lows, and a self-belief borne in the tears shed on Centre Court at the start of a magnificent summer.