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Wimbledon duly delivered a British champion with a Murray getting his name on a trophy for the third time in five years although it was not the one the majority wanted.
With older brother, Andy, having finally succumbed to his troublesome hip injury with defeat in the quarter-final it was left to the younger sibling, Jamie, to claim the mixed-doubles final.
Alongside him, having only partnered up the week before the Championships started, was the evergreen Martina Hingis who claimed her 23rd career Grand Slam title while it was Murray’s fourth.
The British fans were guaranteed a home success as the defeated finalists were the defending champions Heather Watson and her Finish partner, Henri Kontinen, although they would have hoped for greater competition than the one-sided match provided. Murray and Hingis took only 74 minutes to secure a 6-4 6-4 victory.
However, the knowledgeable crowd on Centre Court along with those on Henman Hill (also known as Murray Mound) take great champions to heart, particularly those that play with panache and great honour.
The final day witnessed Roger Federer become the GOAT on the grass courts (Greatest Of All Time) as he quickly overcame Marin Cilic.
This was a tennis lesson 101 – the number being the minutes taken to overcome an opponent stricked by a blister that twice required treatment, suggesting that we could have witnessed the first retirement from a men’s singles final since 1911.
After the furore on the first day when several players retired in the middle of their first match, securing their appearance money yet robbing more eligible players of theirs, the bravery shown by Cilic was admirable.
Fourteen years after his first victory Federer the Swiss third seed won 6-3 6-1 6-4 becoming the oldest man in the Open Era to win at the All England Club and the first since Bjorn Borg in 1976 to win the final in straight sets.
Federer surpasses Pete Sampras and William Renshaw, who won their seventh titles in 2000 and 1889 respectively, with only Martina Navratilova still ahead in terms of Wimbledon singles titles on nine.
He has won two of the three Grand Slam titles so far this year, having returned from a six-month break to win the Australian Open in January.
The 35-year old proved that early preminitions of his demise were unfounded, even if he did benefit from the withdrawal through injury from two of his closest rivals. Yet the fact that he himself is able to play at the highest level is testimony to hos work ethic and diligence off the court.
It seems a lifetime ago since Federer introduced himself to the grass court championships by beating the defending champion, Pete Sampras, in the fourth round in 2001.
While this title provides evidence of his continued excellence, particularly on grass, given his fortune in not facing any of the top four, I don’t believe that he will necessarily find it this easy again in the future.
It does feel as though we are at a cross roads between the signing-off of the old guard while we await the new contingent to make a mark.
That said, Federer is the only man to win five consecutive Grand Slams – Wimbledon and the US Open. Flushing Meadow is next up … don’t go against him!
