Murray 7-4 for glory as final countdown begins
THE dream lives on and Andy Murray, just one match away from rewriting the tennis history books, is 7-4 with Boylesports to become the first British Wimbledon men’s singles champion for 77 years with a final victory over Roger Federer on Sunday.
On Friday night the super Scot became the first Briton to reach the men’s final since Bunny Austin in 1938 when he beat semi-final opponent Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3 6-4 3-6 7-5.
But Murray, who was fighting back tears after his incredible achievement, knows there is still much to be done on Centre Court tomorrow if he is to emulate Fred Perry, who won the third of his titles in 1936, because Federer, a 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-3 victor over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic yesterday, is in a rich vein of form.
Austin won only four games in a pasting from Don Budge in the final 74 years ago but bookmakers expect Murray to cause more trouble for
six-time champion Federer.
Murray, who was backed at 11-2 to reach the final, gave supporters who had punted him at 4-9 to beat Tsonga few worries. The world No. 4 is different class to the world No. 5 and it showed.
Federer, who is chasing a seventh singles crown in ten years at the
All England Club, was 4-7 to reclaim the grass-court crown after a
hiatus of three years but those odds were taken and the world No. 3,
who has been playing sublime tennis in 2012, was cut to 8-15. Coral
initially went 4-7 Federer after Murray’s triumph, but later went 8-15
as well.
Read Saturday's RPSPORT for Adrian Humphries' full reaction to the Wimbledon men's semi-finals and his verdict on the women's final and full betting package
