Tennis World english 39 Tennis World EN 39 | Page 7

all. In the semi-finals, Murray beat Novak
Djokovic, a player against whom he had

But while the US Open was a nice win,
Murray still wanted one prize above all else:

been struggling in recent years. In the final, it
was Federer again. But unlike the last time

Wimbledon. Now no longer afraid of the big
occasion, he again reached the final in 2013,

they met, Murray would not be beaten back.
Federer, exhausted from his marathon semi-

and again played against Djokovic for the
trophy. As at Flushing Meadows the previous

final against Juan Martin Del Potro, could

year, it was Murray whose nerves held out

only stand by and watch as a determined
Murray seized control of the match and the

the longest.

gold medal.

What was left to do after that? Murray
himself seemed to be unsure. He seemed

It was a shot of confidence that would, just a
few months later, see Murray back in yet
another Slam final. It was the US Open, and
he would finally break free of the “eternal
loser” image once and for all. Up against
Novak Djokovic in the championship round,

listless in the months following Wimbledon,
and suffered a surprise loss to Stanislas
Wawrinka at the US Open. He admitted his
motivation had been low, and soon
underwent back surgery, adding physical
pain to his mental uncertainty. Murray only

he finally broke through. It took a mammoth
five-set encounter, in which both players
suffered from leg cramps, but he ultimately
came out on top.

returned to the court in 2014, but struggled to
regain his former form. He did not reach any
Slam finals that year, reaching only one
semi-final at Roland Garros and no Masters
1000 finals. He ended the year ranked 6 in
the world, qualifying for ATP World Tour
Finals but suffering a humiliating 0-6, 1-6
loss to Roger Federer at the event.
Able to enjoy a full program of training in the
off-season, 2015 started better for the Scot.
He reached the Australian Open final, where
he lost to Djokovic again. But Murray’s big
success of the year would come in a team
endeavor rather than an individual one.
Returning to Davis Cup play, which Murray
had often scorned in favor of his singles
career, he led the British team to an
incredible victory. And despite not winning
any Slams in 2015, he still managed to end
the year ranked number two. He was now
just one position away from reaching the last