Murray was Embraced by a Nation; Federer was Out of This World

Roger Federer (Left) & Andy Murray (Right) pose with their prizes. - Getty Images

THERE is more to a player’s performance on the playing field other than their honed skills and instinctive talents. These skills, no matter the amount of preparation done, are always susceptible to many factors in motion during game time. Most culpable among these are the ones the athlete doesn’t have a hold on. Aside from the actual game most of us can concretely describe through the stat sheet, there is an equally important game happening in the athlete’s mind. The balance of certain elements, thoughts, emotions, pressure, doubts, apprehensions, ego and confidence can decide a win or a loss as much as the proper (or improper) execution of techniques when playing.

Tennis, as opposed to other sports, has more fascinating aspects that can easily make the sport’s mental aspect visible to spectators. Tennis’ straightforwardness provides little distractions which enables the viewer to see into the players’ minds, beyond their racket swings and rallies for a point. At its simplest form, there are only two warm bodies playing on a wide plot of land too big for only two people. The ball, which is already difficult to see due to its size, is even more impossible to watch due to the high speeds it can travel. It was as if the inventors of tennis designed the game purposefully for the viewers to focus largely on the competitors and what their behavior may be telling us rather than on the flight of the ball. It is one of the few sports where one can be more reliable than the weatherman in predicting the outcome of matches by observing the little signs the players are giving off.

This year’s Wimbledon finals had to be headlined by two gentlemen with very different backgrounds. Roger Federer came in as a 16-time major tournament winner working for number 17. Specific to Wimbledon, he’s also looking to tie legendary Pete Sampras’ seven titles by bagging it this 2012. On a personal level, Federer needed to win this final to prove that he still had it in him to win major tournaments in his 30’s. Approaching the twilight of his best playing days, it was believed that Wimbledon was his best chance to win another and prove to everyone he still hasn’t hit the dirt.

On the other end, Andy Murray was just on his 4^th major finals looking for his 1^st title. Those are very minute numbers compared to Federer’s. To make things seem more impossible for his winning cause, two of those finals defeats came at the hands of no other than Roger Federer. On a bigger perspective, Andy Murray played the finals as Britain’s hope for an Englishman to win the homegrown Wimbledon Championship, a feat not achieved since Fred Perry in 1936. As the underdog, Murray played to win one for himself and for his compatriots.

Anja niedringhaus/AP

           Murray seemed to do just that as the 1^st set of the match began. The way Murray started hot and took the game to Federer caught his competition by surprise. With powerful, well directed and purposeful hits, Murray sent balls beyond the reach of his opponent to break Federer’s serves and control the outcome of this initial set. Federer looked like a novice unsure of himself with the onslaught he was facing and taking, not fully realizing what he was up against. Feeding from the atmosphere and the stakes, Murray played like nothing could go wrong as he was having the best game of his life. There was fire and aggression in Murray’s face that showed his tennis was better as he deservingly won the set. Even with bad line challenges by Murray going against him, his objections showed how confident he was with his ability to win the match, be it with his strokes or the correct overriding of line calls.

Murray shows his frustration

        Unfortunately, Murray repetitively getting his line challenges wrong, which continued to the next sets, must have opened a chink in his reservoir of confidence as the game’s momentum slowly shifted. After the 1^st set barrage, the Federer the world has admired for years finally arrived at the match as he slowly became the aggressor. This was nothing new for Federer who’s had a long list of moments similar to this one. His mind was deciding between playing on or giving up the game to Murray. Rather than choosing to quit by focusing on his bad start or worry about Murray’s good game, Federer kept his cool and played the game he’s been known to play for the past decade. The match still had a long way to go but Federer played it calmly point by point, not getting too ahead of himself. Murray at the same time was letting his frustration get the better part of him. With every point against him, his dejection was very evident in his facial expressions. Even wiping the sweat off his face with a towel couldn’t remove the disappointment he had as he prepared for the next point. 

           For both men, it was make or break in the epic 5^th game of the 3^rd set that lasted for 20 minutes which included a ton of game points and deuces. On a game that both men didn’t seem to give enough to wrap it up, it became a test of one’s skill, fortitude and readiness to win. It wasn’t simply a game on the line, but the whole match as well. With a scoreboard that kept exchanging deuce followed by advantage again and again, it had the potential to be the beginning of the end for both men. The composed Federer went into the game with enough poise and self-assurance and was undaunted by how big this game could be. He won some points and he lost some, but that didn’t upset his play as much as his opponent’s. Murray’s shortcomings further reinforced the already bothered player in him as he was always asking himself again and again what he must do to win the game. As the battle went on, Murray’s demise came with it. The fear of another defeat at this stage can be seen on his face. For all his worries, sadly, the game slipped away. Federer won the game with momentum on his side.

Federer Calm and Composed - Clive Rose/Getty Images

            It is always a privilege to be a witness to a player displaying his craft at the highest level, amazing and executed close to perfection. The power of such feats never ceases to amaze and inspire. All the right things happened for Federer as he closed the match. You’d be lucky to see him commit an error. As he was dominating Murray, Federer shut out the mental adversaries he had in the first set. The insecurities, doubts, fear of losing -- they were all gone. All his concentration went to his superhuman game fueled by the tremendous belief he had in himself. His footwork was accurate as his body anticipated every return of the ball, his shots too menacing and agonizing for his opponent to counter. Here was a legendary performance in the flesh on his way to winning the championship. This was the moment Federer became god-like. 

It wouldn’t be too surprising or be taken against him if Murray decided to quit and let Federer stroll to the trophy considering the game’s progression. The spring in Murray’s steps and the eagerness he had at the start of the match were now replaced by heavy feet, slumped shoulders and an even more disappointed look on his face. Even though Murray had a very slim chance of winning at a statistical perspective, Federer was too much to take on. Yet it was also in the same closing stages of the match where Murray proved to everyone why he was a deserving finalist.

The loss was already real in his mind as well as in the arena, but Murray was still valiant and honorable in defeat. When others would brace themselves and accept the attack of the victor, Murray fought and gave a win-worthy effort even with another loss in the horizon. His serves were still intimidating, but not as threatening as Federer’s. His returns were still firm, but not as focused as Federer’s. His resolve was still intact, but not as unshakable as Federer’s. Murray knew he really had it in him, but Federer still had a lot more than him that day.

Federer Down to Earth as the Victor - Reuters

           With an out of this world tennis match for Federer at his age, it was only fitting for him to fall back to the earth as his win was now a reality. “He’s (Federer) not bad for a 30 year old,” said Murray on his emotional 2^nd place acceptance speech. Federer’s performance truly deserved nothing less than another Wimbledon trophy and further validation of how strong and competitive he really is on the tennis court and with himself. Murray was right when he said that Federer, “still had fight in himself.”

Respect - Jonathan Brady/EPA

Murray will certainly get back from this. The road ahead can only be sweeter for him. Federer gave his respects to his honorable opponent when he said, “he’ll (Murray)--at least--win one grand slam.” Federer knew it especially after Murray worried him in that 1^st set and fought bravely to the end. He had the start of his life on this year's final. The English knew it -- the whole world which saw Murray’s effort knew it. No matter how painful 2^nd place was for Murray, there is no bigger consolation prize than the reinforcement of his mental game. His skill is already there, his mentality is still in the making. He certainly had a great model of how perfect tennis and mental game go after facing them in Wimbledon 2012.

Final Score: .R. Federer (def) A. Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3,-6-4