Roger Federer has pulled out one of his finest performances at a major against Andy Murray. The 2012 Wimbledon final was certainly not what I had expected. I thought for sure Roger Federer was going to blast Murray in straight sets.
Andy Murray came out firing in the first set, breaking Roger Federer’s first serve. I could not believe what I was watching. It was an Andy Murray I hadn’t seen before, a very confident and calm player. He seemed to keep the pressure situation in check. Andy Murray took the first set 6-4.
I admit, I have been pulling for Roger Federer since the beginning of the tournament. To see Roger Federer lose the first set had me quite worried. Especially with all the unforced errors that Roger Federer was piling up in the championship match. Could this be the chance for the near 75 year drought to be lifted? Nope. Of course not, it’s Roger Federer…the greatest tennis player the world has ever seen.
Roger Federer came back in the second set, pushing hard and finding ways to get into each point. Serving and volleying, ripping forehands, backhands; everything started coming together for the Swiss. Roger Federer took the second set 7-5.
The third was a mixed bag, a 30+ minute rain delay, the roof closing, and to top it all off, an almost 2o minute service game for Andy Murray, which he lost. I think that was the turning point, yes Murray lost the third set. Though I think he lost the match at that point. He knew that Roger Federer was going to win. He must have known, the crowd felt it. The fans were simply deflated.
Don’t get me wrong, Murray didn’t play a bad match, he was serving wonderfully; hitting major ground strokes, it was just that Roger Federer was that much better. Roger Federer did have moments of questionable shot making, though it was Andy Murray who could not take advantage of the opportunities. Roger Federer closed out the third set 6-3 with ease.
Roger Federer 2012 Wimbledon Champion and World #1
I don’t know about you, though going into the fourth set, I knew that Roger Federer was going to be flawless. The fans and I knew, all he had to do was stay steady and hold serve, which he did. Roger Federer, like always, did one better and broke the Murray serve early and with authority.
There is the question, did Andy Murray choke? Absolutely not, in fact, that was the best tennis I have seen from Murray. There was no blame, not whining, just pure tennis. I was very impressed with his game plan. He executed his plan extremely well, it was just that Roger Federer was on the ball on this day.
One deciding factor of the match though, was the roof closing. With the roof closure, the environment changed, it favored Roger Federer’s serve. He was able to pick spot easily and hit through the court. Murray struggled there.
Now that Roger Federer is the 2012 Wimbledon champion, he officially ties Pete Sampras in two areas; seven Wimbledon titles and 286 weeks total at #1. This by far, catapults Roger Federer to ultimate GOAT status. I am amazed that Roger Federer has won a standalone 17 major titles in his career. Absolutely amazed.
Roger Federer vs. Andy Murray 3-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4
Roger Federer, simply GOAT.