This Scot is now a Brit

He was once called the ‘choker.’ Nothing was going Andy Murray’s way. The Brit had just lost yet another Grand Slam final, fourth to be precise. A four-set loss to Roger Federer in the summit clash of Wimbledon last year shattered his dreams (and that of Britain’s) for the nth time. But this loss happened to be the turning point. Less than a month later, he avenged his Wimbledon defeat by winning the Olympic gold and denying Federer a career golden slam.

That wasn’t it. A month later, he finally got his hands on a Grand Slam trophy when he won a marathon five-setter in the US Open final against Novak Djokovic. Murray had truly and finally arrived. And the Scot became a Brit once and for all!

How did this transition take place? Hard work, no doubt, but above all a certain Ivan Lendl had a major role to play. Murray’s career, in many ways, mirrored Lendl’s, be it their Grand Slam losses or their tormentors in those defeats. What Federer and Djoko did to Murray, Borg and Connors once did to Lendl.

This uncanny resemblance turned out to be a boon for Murray as Lendl knew the task he had in hand. He fine-tuned Murray’s game, instilled in him the much-needed confidence, did wonders to his fitness levels and saw to it he had the mental strength to fight off pain.

And it was these qualities that helped Murray see off Federer on Friday, something that was missing a year back.

One may call it an upset but not many people know that Murray is the only other active player besides Nadal to have a positive head-to-head record against Federer.

From a player who struggled to win even a set at the majors to one who’s now beating the champions with ease, Murray has come a long way. He is no more the underdog. And now, only Djokovic stands between him and a second Grand Slam title. May the best man win!