Murray Falls Narrowly Short Of Olympic Double On Centre Court

In the the midst of a GB gold storm at the London 2012 Olympics has been some excellent performances by the home nation's tennis players at SW19. Today was their D-Day as they knew that two gold medals were up from grabs on Centre Court; one for Andy Murray in the men's singles and one for Murray and teenager Laura Robson in the mixed doubles. 

There was plenty of scepticism surrounding Murray's chances against world number one Roger Federer going into their best of five sets final. The match was a repeat of July's Wimbledon final when the Swiss maestro beat the Brit in four sets to deny him a maiden Grand Slam title. Many felt that this could be Murray's time though as he had had time to learn from his defeat and had a partisan British crowd on his side. He started brilliantly as he broke Federer immediately and stormed into a one set lead, winning it 6-2. Any thoughts that the 17-time Grand Slam winner would then win the next three sets as he did four weeks before were quashed in some style as Murray breezed through to take the second set 6-1. 

The third set was a lot closer but Murray always seemed in control and one break was enough as he sealed a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win in one hour and 56 minutes to claim Team GB's 16th gold of London 2012. The Briton was emotional after winning the biggest title of his career saying: "I have had a lot of tough losses in my career and this is the best way to come back from the Wimbledon final, this is one of the biggest wins of my life." Murray looked in shock as he received his gold medal and said: "I didn't expect that at the start of the week, I thought I'd go deep into the tournament but I felt so fresh today. It's amazing." 

Less than an hour later and the world number four was back on Centre Court, this time with 18-year-old Robson in their mixed doubles final against Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka of Belarus. The British pair got off to an excellent start as they broke Mirnyi in the first game before sealing a double break to take an early 4-0 lead. They wrapped up the first set 6-2 in just 30 minutes, signalling a mexican wave from the delighted crowd. 

Despite their excellent start Murray and Robson knew that the Belarusians would come back strong as Mirnyi is ranked world number one in doubles while Azarenka is the women's singles world number one. The top seeds started much better in the second set holding serve twice before breaking Robson to take a 3-1 lead. The Brits could not find the elusive break of serve as their opponents grew in confidence and took the second set 6-3. That sent the gold medal match into a first-to-10 points champions tie-break to decide the winners.

The home favourites conceded a mini-break on the first point of the tie-break as they fell 3-0 down in just a couple of minutes. But they fought back and Robson found the line to bring the breaker back on serve. Robson then pulled a back-hand wide before double-faulting as the momentum started to swing in Mirnyi and Azarenka's favour. Murray immediately brought it back to 5-5 with a big fore-hand only for Robson to fire long to force her partner to serve at 6-5 down. Once again the Belarusians took the upper hand through a Mirnyi back-hand before Azarenka won both points on her serve to seal three gold-medal points. Robson battled hard to save two of them but Mirnyi found the winning strike to win the Olympic title in style.

Murray was pleased with his partner: "At the end of all the matches she played really well and we came so close." Robson was understandably upset: "They were the top seeds for a reason but it was still hard to lose today."

A great day at the All England Club ended in disappointment for Great Britain but overall a gold and a silver in tennis was a very good result. 

Majestic Federer Too Good For Battling Murray

Swiss maestro Roger Federer proved to be too big an up-hill battle for Andy Murray as he came back from losing the first set to sweep to a four set win. A brilliant final swayed this way and that before Federer came through in flying colours thanks to some magnificent stroke-play. Murray fought hard but could not quite match the six-time winner's power and precision. 

With an illustrious crowd gathered that featured the likes of David and Victoria Beckham, the Middleton sisters, Sir Cliff Richards and David Cameron, the stage was set for an enthralling Wimbledon show-piece. The spectators got just what they wanted to start with as Murray broke an edgy-looking Federer to take an early lead before holding to consolidate his great start. The 16-time Grand Slam champion came roaring back immediately though to hold and then break to level the first set at two games all. The points were long and the games drawn out but it stayed on serve. In the eighth game Murray saved two break points in a game that went to deuce six times as Federer looked to be taking the upper hand. The home crowd were then sent into raptures as the Scot forced Federer to net a fore-hand to seal a break before serving out to take the first set 6-4.

The momentum was with the 25-year-old on the back of his first ever set in a Grand Slam final and he showed his battling qualities when he saved a break point in the second game of the second set. Federer showed his class though as he was forced to fight to keep himself on serve as he twice saved two break points; first for a 3-2, then 5-4 lead. With the score at 6-5 Federer came back from 30-0 down to break Murray with four straight points that included an unbelievable back-hand passing shot. He levelled the match with his first set point with a perfect drop-volley.

With the score at one-all in the third set the rains came and the players were forced off the court much to the crowd's disappointment. The decision was made for the roof to be closed and play resumed. It was felt that playing indoors was always going to be of a slight benefit for Federer who had not lost to Murray indoors since 2008. However Murray had never lost under the Centre Court roof and he will still have felt confident going into the re-start.

The match swung in the 30-year-old Swiss man's favour in an epic 10 deuce, 16-minute long game which he won with his sixth break point. Murray continued to battle but Federer's serve was in too good a shape as he finished off the third set in style with a thumping ace to seal it 6-3. The home favourite was still well in the match and managed to hang on early in the fourth set in the face of great adversity.

Federer proceeded to construct a brilliant return game capped off with a wonderful back-hand cross-court pass that left Murray bewildered. The break meant that the 30-year-old was serving with a 3-2 lead and comfortably extended that. Murray kept holding on to his serve by the skin of his teeth but it was clear that Federer was on the brink of a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon title. Murray was taken to deuce as he attempted to make Federer serve for the match but fought back to keep himself in with an outside chance. Murray took the opening point but the man on the other side of the net was simply too good and he took his 17th Grand Slam win and the world number one spot when he saw the Scot's fore-hand pass fly wide.

An emotional world number four was gracious in defeat and joked that he was 'getting closer' to that elusive major title. He congratulated Federer and said that 'he was not bad for a 30-year-old'. When asked if the pressure put on him by the British public had had a negative effect on him he replied: "It's not the people watching, they make it easier to play and the support has been incredible so thank you."

The champion paid tribute to his opponent and he acknowledged that: "He has done so well over the years and is so consistent... he will at least win one Grand Slam." He also said: "I think I played some of my best tennis. I could not be more happy. I have missed playing in the finals."

A magnificent player took a deserved seventh trophy and regained the world number one spot, ensuring that he will break the record number of weeks at the top of the rankings. The British number one produced a valiant performance but could not find a way through one of the greatest players to ever grace the game. Murray will return to London's famous grass courts in two weeks or so to try and bring Olympic glory to his country, but as for Wimbledon, he will just have to wait until next year.

Will We See Magnificent Murray or Fabulous Federer?

Both Britain's best and one of the greatest ever tennis players both produced exhibition performances on Centre Court today. They faced admirable opponents in Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and world number one Novak Djokovic but managed to out-think them and overpower them to set up a historic final meeting. Scot Andy Murray is the first British player to reach the final at the All England Club since 1938 and is hoping to become the first home winner since Fred Perry in 1936. Roger Federer already holds the record amount of Grand Slams at 16 and is one win away from equalling Pete Sampras's highest total of seven Wimbledon titles. 

On Sunday they meet for the sixteenth time with the head-to-head record standing at 8-7 in Murray's favour. This is slightly surprising given the record Federer has against most of his competitors. However they are yet to meet on grass and when they do on Sunday it will be in front of their most adoring fans. Murray is the home-favourite while Federer is one of the most majestic players to ever grace the grass courts of London. A win for the Swiss maestro will return him to the top of the world rankings and give him a first major victory since the Australian Open 2010 when he beat Murray in straight sets in the final, while he also brushed aside the Scot in the 2008 US Open final. 

World number four Murray has never taken a set in a Grand Slam final, the only man to fail to do so who has reached that stage three times. This time he will feel in confident mood as he will have the crowd behind him and has a winning record over the man on the other side of the net. Murray will probably be hoping for some good weather as the roof appears to help the player who likes to play quick points; the player like the 16-time Grand Slam winner. 

Federer was in imperious form today and it was a bit of a shock to see the way he beat defending champion Djokovic in such ease. His serve was precise and powerful as were his ground-strokes as the Serbian number one could not hold on to his serve often enough. Federer was pleased with his performance: "I played a great match. It has been a tough tournament for me. I was able to step it up and get a bit lucky maybe.

Later on on Centre Court the same could not be said of Tsonga as he could not quite cope with Murray's excellent serving and relentless returns. The Frenchman did drag himself back into the match in the third and fourth sets but by then it was a bridge too far. In the end the home player was just too strong: "I feel a bit of relief, excitement, it's tough to explain," said the Scot. "It was such a close match in the end, both of us had chances.

This year's show-piece finale looks like it will be a very tightly-fought contest with Murray hoping to make inroads into the Federer serve that has looked strong. Both players have dropped just four sets so far at this tournament and will both be desperate for a win that will give Murray a first major title and Federer his first for over two years. The Swiss player will rightly go in as favourite although Murray will be sure to provide a stern test. The Centre Court crowd will be behind both of them as they hope for another Wimbledon classic. 

Britons Going Great Guns at Wimbledon

In the first two days at Wimbledon 2012 the usual suspects have produced some excellent performances. On day one six-time winner Roger Federer ran out a 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 victor over Albert Ramos to equal his lowest amount of games lost in a Grand Slam match while defending champion Novak Djokovic started with a comfortable straight sets win over Juan Carlos Ferrero. In the women's draw there were wins for the likes of Maria Sharapova, Sam Stosur, Li Na and Agnieszka Radwanska. 

Into day two and the favourites continued to come out on top. Rafael Nadal won in straight sets after an early scare against Thomaz Belucci and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga beat Lleyton Hewitt. Serena Williams and Victoria Azarenka also sealed easy passages into round two. For the last fifteen years or so the home fans at the All England Club have been used to only really having one player to cheer for; at first Tim Henman and now Andy Murray. However there have been signs over the first two days of this year's tournament that that trend might be about to change. For the first time since 2006 five Britons have advanced to the second round of the singles draws and there were other encouraging displays. 

Andy Murray did what was expected of him against a depleted Nikolay Davydenko on Centre Court in an impressive manner; winning 6-1, 6-1, 6-4. He will be hopeful of at least reaching a fourth successive Wimbledon semi-final despite having a tough quarter of the draw. He will probably next face big hitting Croatian Ivo Karlovic in what will be a testing encounter for him. Nevertheless it is not Murray that the British fans will be really pleased with over the last couple of days. 

After an epic battle out on Court 14 British number two James Ward came out on top against Spain's world number 36 Pablo Andujar. After twice coming back from a set down he proceeded to drop 3-0 behind in the deciding set against a player ranked 137 places above him. He sealed an impressive hold in the next game before breaking back. Unbelievably he ended up taking six games on the trot to run out a 4-6, 6-0, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 winner. The crowd on the small court really got behind their man and he used this to his advantage as he really riled his opponent who even complained to the umpire about a clearly correct line call. Ward showed the form that took him to the 2011 Queens semi-finals with a good first serve and excellent cross-court backhand that fired all match. His fore-hand looked very iffy at times but he still produced some huge point-clinching shots. He meets American Mardy Fish in the second round in what will be a huge task, especially after playing for over three hours today. But he will already be happy after taking his first ever win in the Wimbledon main draw. 

British number one woman Anne Keothavong cruised to 6-3, 6-3 win over Spanish player Pous-Tio to take her place in the next round where she may face tenth seed Sara Errani. She never looked in trouble and will now be looking forward to trying to reach the third round for the first time. One British woman who has reached that stage before is previous national number one Elena Baltacha back in 2002. She has suffered with inconsistent form this season slipping from world number 50 to 101 and is now her country's third best. It looked as though that would continue when she dropped the first set to Italian player Karin Knapp. However, aided by an apparent Knapp injury she came through 4-6, 6-4, 6-0. She faces an uphill climb to match her 2002 effort as she next faces defending champion Petra Kvitova. Despite this these two women have done what was hoped for them and both have showed many positives to prove that they are not going backwards. 

The younger generation of British tennis is also causing some excitement in London. Youngster Oliver Golding showed great fight in losing in four sets to Igor Andreev despite winning more games and points than his opponent. Josh Goodall lost in four sets to exit at the first stage for the fifth year in a row and would now seem unlikely to be given another wildcard next year. Still in the competition is Jamie Baker who is a set and a break down to former finalist Andy Roddick. He showed great skill in taking the first set to a tie-break and will complete his big match tomorrow on Court One. 

The young women have also showed plenty of promise for the future. Since she won the Wimbledon 2008 girls singles title at the age of just 14 Laura Robson has struggled despite reaching the second round here last year. But this year she has found some good form and last week broke in the world's top 100 for the first time in her fledgling career. She seemed to be carrying on her good form against former French Open winner Francesca Schiavone when she breezed into a one set lead with some big serves and some fizzing fore-hands. The 32-year-old Italian showed her experience though to take the next two sets 6-4 to progress. Robson was clearly upset but was still happy with her performance: "I definitely believed that I could win. I think I was just trying to go for too much because she was getting more balls back and I was just trying to stay the aggressive player in the point, keep the rallies short."

Twenty-year-old Guernsey girl Heather Watson has always shone at these major tournaments and has regularly qualified in the last couple of years. After reaching the second round at the French Open just two weeks ago she came into this tournament full of confidence and just three places outside the world's top 100.  She faced a much higher ranked rival in Czech world number 52 Iveta Benesova. But Watson defied the odds as she produced a crushing display that was reminiscent of her first round win at Roland Garros to blow aside Benesova 6-2, 6-1. She has a very winnable second round match against American Jamie-Lee Hampton. 

With all these women hopeful of reaching the London Olympics they are all trying to better each other's results and this is being reflected in the positive outcomes. Fed Cup coach Judy Murray seems to have had a good influence on the women while James Ward appears to be relishing in his status as the Lawn Tennis Association's male number one. Whatever happens in the next round the future looks bright for the home country of tennis's oldest major tournament.