Andy Murray wins second Olympic men’s singles title

Andy Murray has won Olympic gold in the men’s singles tennis at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

After a gruelling four-hour match, Murray eventually overcame Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro 7-5 4-6 6-2 7-5 to secure the win on what would be Great Britain’s most successful day at an overseas Games, with five golds won.

The triumph came just five weeks after he won his second Wimbledon title, and saw Murray write himself into the history books as the first male tennis player to win the singles title twice in successive Games.

Murray looked in control in the first set, but del Potro started roaring back – eventually, it went Murray’s way. The Argentinian fought back, and took the second set to level, while the third was largely Murray. However, every point was a hard-fought one, and it was clear that the match was taking its toll on the two players, both of whom were desperate for the victory.

But del Potro’s energy levels, after tough battles to reach the gold-medal match, were starting to run down. The first set had lasted an hour-and-a-quarter, the second an hour and the third 36 minutes, an indication of the battle just to keep fighting.

Come the fourth set, it surely seemed like neither man could hold on, and yet they kept going, both players fighting to hold serve against a largely pro-del Potro crowd. Murray struggled to keep his composure, and it looked like his opponent was struggling to stay upright. The GB player dropped serve twice in succession at the start of the set, then broke back twice, and things gradually nudged towards a 5-5 score. A tiebreak seemed probable, but Murray’s energy surpassed the tiring del Potro, who struggled even to net the final ball of the match.

Murray said that the match was “one of the hardest” he’d had to ply for a major title.

He said: “Emotionally it was tough, physically it was hard with so many ups and downs in the match. The fact that [a man winning two medals] has never been done before shows it’s a very difficult thing to do and I’m very proud to have been the first one to have done it.”

The silver medallist for the Argentinian is a strong result, as he returns to form after three seasons disrupted by a wrist injury.

Del Potro said: “When I look at my medal, I’m so happy for that, but I’ve just lost a great final against Andy and I was close to the gold medal. He played better in the important moments and is a great champion.”

Kei Nishikori won bronze in the men’s singles, overcoming a Rafael Nadal who seemed to be exhausted after his own clash with del Potro the day before.