Wimbledon: Brits Break Hoodoo
- July 9th, 2013
- Posted by EU Australia
Andy Murray’s (picture) straight sets victory in the men’s final at Wimbledon ended a 77 year drought for British tennis players, and set the seal on a glorious weekend for his country in sport.
ARISE SIR ANDY?
Not since Fred Perry became champion in 1936 (picture) has a British player been able to cap the pleasures of the traditional Summer carnival with a home win; so the adulation poured forth.
Tabloid papers shouted demands that Mr Murray be made a knight, so that he’d be called “Sir” forever after; the Prime Minister, David Cameron, hopped on and declared he thought that accolade would be well deserved.
The win, on Sunday, was emphatic and sound; the 26 year-old from Dunblane in Scotland defeated the world’s no. 1, Novak Djokovic, also 26, from Serbia, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4.
Dazzling form in that clash was matched in the Women’s final, Marion Bartoli of France defeating Sabine Lisicki, from Germany, 6-1, 6-4.
Among the Australians, Ashleigh Barty and Casey Dellacqua played the Women’s Doubles Final, losing to Hsieh Su-wei (Taiwan), and Peng Shuai, from China, 7-6, 6-1.
The top-performing Sam Stosur and Bernard Tomic played into semi-finals, losing in Round Three and Round Four respectively.
ROARING LIONS, AND FANS
Some 30 000 British Rugby fans who made it to Australia had their trip rendered extra worthwhile, cheering-on the British and Irish Lions to a rip-roaring win, and series victory against the Wallabies in Sydney.
The 41-16 result gave the Lions the Test series, 2-1, an outcome they will savour for some time, since they only tour in Australia every twelve years.
The estimated value of the tour to the Australian economy is A$100-million.
ON YOUR BIKE!
As the weekend progressed, across the channel, in cycling, Britain’s Chris Froome (picture), favourite for this year’s Tour de France, did not disappoint the folks at home; getting to the front in Saturday’s Stage 8, and holding on to the leader’s yellow jersey in the 9th Stage next day.
The country that invented and for some decades led much of today’s competitive sport, (read the Rugby football codes, soccer Football, Cricket), since even before its great outcomes in the London Olympics, has been enjoying a healthy, and heady resurgence. In Cricket, an Ashes series, at home, against an uncertain Australia is just around the corner.
Reference
Wimbledon Championships, London, Home.
http://www.wimbledon.com/en_GB/players/profiles.html, (8.7.13).
2013 Lions Tour, Sydney, Home.
http://www.rugby.com.au/lions2013/ticketing/, (8.7.13).
BBC Sport, London, Cycling, 7.7.13.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cycling/23217579, (8.7.13).
Pictures wikipedia, andymurray, Lions