Historic Triumph for Murray at the US Open
September 10, 2012
New York — Unbelievable match, epic win: Andy Murray wrote British tennis history. The Gold medalist of the London Olympics won a HEAD to HEAD battle of racquet rebels, winning his first Grand Slam title with a 7-6(10), 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 win over Novak Djokovic in the US Open final.
Murray, swinging his YouTek IG Radical Pro, won the second-longest final in tournament history, lasting 4:54 hours as he claimed a tough final set over Djokovic (YouTek IG Speed MP). Between them the two racquet rebels now hold two of the top three spots in the ATP rankings.
Murray got a huge weight off his shoulders as he became the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to lift a grand Slam trophy: “I don’t know how I did it,” said Murray. “There were incredibly tricky conditions. After the third and fourth set, it was tough mentally. Novak is so strong; he fights to the end in every match. I’ve had some long tough matches in the past with Novak, I just managed to get through it.”
Djokovic was defending the title he won a year ago, with the Serb having won four Grand Slam titles since the start of 2011. “It wasn’t meant to be,” said Djokovic. “I want to congratulate Andy and his team. He absolutely deserves this. I tried my best,” said the world No. 2 who came back from two sets down to force a fifth set.
The Scot’s victory ended his summer of success after playing the Wimbledon final against Federer and then beating the Swiss three weeks later in the Olympic gold medal match. He is the first male player to win the Olympic tennis tournament and the US Open in the same season.
Overall, the HEAD racquet rebels had been dominating the men’s field in new York. Six of them reached the fourth round, four the quarter-final and three the semifinals – including Tomas Berdych (HEAD YouTek Instinct MP) who beat the current world No. 1 Roger Federer.
On the women’s side HEAD French Open winner Maria Sharapova moved back to the WTA No. 2 position after reaching the semi-finals, where she challenged Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 2-6, 4-6. Despite her loss, Sharapova (YouTek IG Instinct MP) is optimistic about her career after her shoulder injury several seasons ago. “When I do think about it, I’m so lucky that I still get to play this sport that I love. I feel like I have a lot in me. I was back at No. 1 winning Grand Slams again, so it’s certainly a great season.”
Roberta Vinci, playing with her YouTek IG Extreme Pro, earned her second Grand Slam doubles title of the season with her partner Sara Errani. The trophy was the eighth for the pair this season including the French Open doubles title.