Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title and ended Britain's 77-year wait for a men's champion as he replaced Novak Djokovic as the world number one.
Murray's 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 victory over top-player Novak Djokovic was a fitting close to nearly eight decades of British frustration in its own backyard: A straight-setter, but a hard-fought, 3-hour, 9-minute affair filled with long, punishing rallies and a final game that may have felt like another 77 years, with Murray squandering three match points before finally putting it away after four deuces.
Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic with their hardware. (Susan Mullane, USA TODAY Sports)
Murray was quicker around the court and steadier in the clutch, taking advantage of Djokovic's lackluster serving and bouts of error-prone play.
"The bottom line is that he was a better player in decisive moments," said Djokovic, the 2011 Wimbledon winner. "He was all over the court."
Novak Djokovic slips behind the baseline (Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP)
Murray had a better ratio of winners (36-31) and unforced errors (21-40) than Djokovic, and also smacked more aces (9-4). But the biggest difference was his ability to put return after return in play — 77% in all.
"Even though when I was putting my first serves in he was always getting them back in the court and making me play an extra shot," Djokovic said. "That's why he won this tournament."
Murray seemed energized by the nearly 15,000 screaming fans on sold-out Centre Court and thousands more watching the big screen from the grounds.
With them at his back, he recovered from a break down in the last two sets and shook off the loss of three match points when he was serving for the match at 40-0.
"At the end, mentally, that last game will be the toughest game I'll play in my entire career, ever," Murray said.
Andy Murray celebrates beating Novak Djokovic (Getty Images)
As reported in BBC Sport, Murray could barely believe he had won saying: "It feels slightly different to last year. Last year was one of the toughest moments of my career, so to manage to win the tournament today…"It was an unbelievably tough match, so many long games."
He later tweeted: "Can't believe what's just happened!!!!!!!"
Even showbiz royalty Victoria Beckham turned up to support the Scot as he gained the title for the first time ever. Wayne & Coleen Rooney witnessed history. Gerald Butler with Bradley Cooper were in similar suits. Bradley brought along his rumoured girlfriend, model Suki Waterhouse, who sat to his right. Tana and Victoria stayed close throughout as they looked on.
Marion Bartoli won Wimbledon 2013, defeating Sabine Lisicki In Women's Final (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)
Marion Bartoli of France smiles as she holds the trophy after winning the Women's singles final match against Sabine Lisicki of Germany at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Saturday, July 6, 2013.
Source: BBC Sport, www.andymurray.com, www.USASport.com
Images:Getty Images, Reuters,AP
Feature IMage : Andy Murray of Britain hoists the trophy after defeating Novak Djokovic of Serbia 6-4, 7-5, 6-4, becoming the first British man since 1936 to win Wimbledon. Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP
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