Beaten, but Scot departs unbroken

Hugh Macdonald

Chief Sports Writer

Monday 9 July 2012

THE words were rueful.

Andy Murray has resolved to improve after losing in his first Wimbledon final. Picture: Reuters

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Hugh MacDonald

"At least I am getting closer," Andy Murray declared last night as he lost his fourth grand slam final but managed for the first time to win a set in the final match of a major. Murray was generous in his praise of Roger Federer, the all-time great who defeated him over four sets, saying the Swiss player ranked alongside such as Pele and Muhammad Ali as extraordinary athletes and talents.

"Both he and Rafa [Nadal] in this sport have been unbelievable athletes. They've been great for the sport," said Murray, whose first loss in a Wimbledon final followed defeats by Federer in the finals of the Australian and US Opens and to Novak Djokovic in Melbourne.Federer came in to Wimbledon 2012 without a grand slam triumph in two and a half years and, approaching 31, had invited whispers that he would not add to his record tally of 16 majors. "He's still playing amazing tennis," Murray confirmed with the pain of experience. "A lot of people have been asking me: 'Has he started slipping? Is he not playing as well?' If you look at the matches he lost [in] the last couple years, very, very close matches, matches he definitely could have won, he could be sitting on 20 grand slams if one point went his way or a couple inches went his way here or there."Federer's seventh Wimbledon title makes him the best player in the world rankings and Murray said: "I don't think you get to No.1 unless you deserve it."Murray now has to reflect on a draining defeat but he is determined to move forward. He admitted he had been in tears on court after the match but said: "It tough. Today's pretty hard because you're playing in front of a crowd like that. You're playing in front of your whole family."I'd be playing probably the wrong sport if I wasn't emotional. I mean, I thought I played a pretty good match. A lot of close shots, a lot of close games, a lot of break points here and there. He played very, very well the last two sets especially. When the roof closed, he played unbelievable tennis."Asked how much closer he felt he was to the goal of being a major winner, he said: "That's the best I've played in a slam final. I created chances. I obviously went up a set. I still had chances [in] the game where I got broken in the third set."It wasn't like I gave away bad games or stupid games and stuff. I played a good match. I made pretty good decisions for the most part, so I'm happy with that. I felt more comfortable this morning and before the match than I had done maybe in the previous slams."Murray had been disappointed not win a set in previous finals and he was desolate at yesterday's defeat but he felt there were grounds for encouragement. "I played better this time in the final, and that's the main thing. It's not an easy tournament for British players in many ways, but I think I dealt with all of the extra things away from the tournament pretty well, better than maybe I had done in the past. I'm still improving, still playing better tennis, trying to improve, which is all I can do."He hoped to take strength from LeBron James, the Miami Heat basketball superstar, who won the NBA finals this season after years of coming up just short. "Stories like that are inspiring. It kind of gives you that extra bit of belief," said the Scot."Some guys have taken much longer [to achieve] than others. He said after he lost in the NBA Finals last year that he's having to go through a lot of nightmares before he reaches his dream."To me, I think I'm in a similar situation right now. Yeah, it doesn't get easier. When you lose, it's hard, it's tough to take, but you need to try and show strength of character to come back from it. Hopefully one day you get there."

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Beaten, but Scot departs unbroken

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