A symbolic bar. This Wednesday, February 23, Andy Murray won the 700th victory of his career on the ATP circuit by beating xxxx on the score of xxxx. Almost 17 years after his first success on the big circuit, against the Spaniard Santiago Ventura during the Queens tournament in June 2005, Andy Murray has therefore crossed a mythical bar. A threshold that only three players still active have crossed: Roger Federer (1,243), Rafael Nadal (1,008) and Novak Djokovic (943). By joining the Big Three, the Scot demonstrates that he is the fourth thief behind the three tennis monsters. Back in five key dates on the successes that counted in the career of the Briton.
Olympic Games 2012: gold in London as a click
It’s quite the paradox when you take a look at Andy Murray’s career successes. The victory which undoubtedly allowed the Scotsman to reach a new level is not among the 700 recorded on the ATP circuit. On August 5, 2012, Andy Murray faced Roger Federer on Center Court at Wimbledon. The same place where he lost four weeks earlier in the final of the London Grand Slam. But this time, the stakes are different: Olympic gold. And with the United Kingdom jersey on his back, Murray is transfigured. The Scot scatters the Swiss for just under two hours, leaving him only seven games in total (6-2, 6-1, 6-4).
One of Federer’s most scathing defeats. “It’s one of the biggest wins of my career. says Murray after his gold medal. I’ve had a lot of tough defeats in my career and this is the best way to bounce back from the Wimbledon final. I didn’t expect this at the start of the week. It’s fantastic. » This August 5, 2012, Murray got rid of the magnificent loser tag.
US Open 2012: first title in Majors
For Andy Murray, 2012 was the year of all symbols. A few weeks after his gold medal at the London Olympics, the Scotsman finally broke the Grand Slam curse. After three failed finals – at the 2010 and 2011 Australian Open and the 2008 US Open – Murray clinched his first Major title at Flushing Meadows. In New York, the Scot emerged victorious from a final of titans, long of almost 5 hours, against Novak Djokovic (7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2).
Mentally and physically, Murray pushes aside his old demons and twists fate’s neck. Perfectly launched after winning the first two sets, Murray sees the Serb pick up two sets everywhere. Before Murray finally found his precision in the deciding round.
Wimbledon 2013: crowned at home
The end of 77 years of waiting. In July 2013, Andy Murray became the king of turf. This grass of Wimbledon which had been refused to him twelve months earlier. A year before, the Scot had left the court in tears, after his defeat in the final against Roger Federer, recording a new failure for him in the Major final.
But the Scot has changed status since his setback against the Swiss. And this time, it’s her turn. Faced with Novak Djokovic, his victim a few months earlier at the US Open, Andy Murray does not give details. At the end of a faultless run in the tournament, he defeated “Djoko” in three sets (6-4, 7-5, 6-4), thus becoming the first Briton to win the London Grand Slam in the Open era.
Wimbledon 2016: third and last Grand Slam title to date
A priori, Andy Murray will therefore never win Grand Slam titles by being world number one. The Briton’s last Major success dates back more than five years now. At home at Wimbledon, Andy Murray won Wimbledon for the second time in his career, three years after his first final victory on the London lawn.
Beaten in the final of the Australian Open and then of Roland-Garros the same year, Murray faces Milos Raonic in the final of the English Grand Slam. Like three years earlier, the Briton won in three sets and 2:45 of play (6-4, 7-6, 7-6). Intractable in the service, Murray holds from start to finish and offers his third coronation in Majors. The latest to date.
Paris-Bercy 2016: on the throne of world tennis
History will remember that Andy Murray was guaranteed to become world number one for the first time in his career after a forfeit victory. Opposed to Milos Raonic in the semi-final of the Paris-Bercy Masters 1000, at the end of 2016, the Scot took advantage of the Canadian’s package to reach the final directly.
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A stage of the competition which allows him to become world No. 1 the following Monday in the ATP ranking. He thus becomes the 26th player to sit on the throne of world tennis since the start of the Open era. He has had no successor since.
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