THREE years since Andy Murray‘s last Wimbledon victory, the Brit goes for glory again at SW19 – and this time he is the favourite to beat Milos Raonic on Centre Court.
It is Murray’s third Wimbledon final against a Grand Slam debutant – and already fans have been rushing to grab a patch of grass on Murray Mound to witness what they hope will be the Scot’s second victory.
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17:17: So that’s all from me this afternoon as Britain’s (not Scotland’s) Andy Murray wins Wimbledon for a second time. I’ve been Gavin Newsham and thanks for joining me today. Result!
17:14: And here is your Wimbledon Champion! Arise Sir Andy Murray? Got a feeling it will be soon…
17:12: Andy Murray is hugging the trophy like a hot water bottle. He’s now paying credit to Raonic and his team, and there’s a word or two for his coach Ivan Lendl as well. “He’s just lucky,” he says. He also thanks his family, and his voice cracks again. He then mentions that the Prime Minister is here too, prompting a colossal boo from the crowd. That is surprising but enjoyable nevertheless. He didn’t mention Nicola Sturgeon though and she’s here. She’ll be gutted.
17:07: “This one’s gonna sting,” says Raonic to Sue Barker, which, coincidentally, is exactly what I said as I stepped into the loo this morning after last night’s curry.
17:05: And there’s a huge and thoroughly well-deserved roar for the runner-up, Milos Raonic. He’ll be back again, no doubt. And now the Wimbledon Champion 2016, Andy Murray! He lifts the famous old trophy and he’ll also find an extra £2 million paid into his bank account too. Well played.
17:03: There’s tears from Andy Murray now and, unbelievably, from Ivan Lendl too. Thought he was the hardest man in the known world? It was a tightly-fought match but Murray was never in any real trouble throughout. So on to the presentation. Roll out the royals and the dignitaries…
17:02: Andy Murray wins three sets to love, 4-6, 6-7, 6-7.
17:00: Milos Raonic dumps a backhand into the net from the deep and ANDY MURRAY IS WIMBLEDON CHAMPION AGAIN!!!
16:59: One saved as Murray goes long! 6-2 to Murray!
16:58: And it’s five championship points for Andy Murray!
16:57: One back for Raonic as Murray finds the net! 5-1 at the change!
16.56: 4-0 to Murray as Raonic nets from the baseline! And now it’s 5-0! Two points from victory!
16.54: Mini-break as Murray digs out a backhand pass to go 2-0 up! And long from Raonic! Murray leads 3-0!
16:53: Murray to serve in the tie-break. And it’s classic serve and volley from the Scot to win the point. 1-0 Murray…
16:52: Fat chance of any Murray break. Raonic pulls out the big guns and his almighty serve – including a 128mph second serve ace – carries us nicely into another tie-break.
RAONIC 6-6 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16.48: Another game to Murray closed out in a delightful manner with the most delicate of drop shots after Raonic had fended one back from in front of his face. If he can break Raonic now he’ll be the champion.
RAONIC 5-6 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:45: But Milos Raonic is going nowhere. He’s just battered his way to a hold to love. Great resilience.
RAONIC 5-5 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:42: Murray is showing no signs of letting this go. That’s a brutally efficient service game to maintain his lead and he’s a break away from winning the title.
RAONIC 4-5 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:41: No they’re not. They’re lemurs.
16.38: Terrific rally there as Raonic so nearly ruins another chance to put Murray away with a failed smash but recovers to wrongfoot his opponent and survive another scare on his service game.
RAONIC 4-4 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:35: Bhoys will be Bhoys…
16:33: A second double fault for Murray fails to halt his progress in the seventh game of the third set but he is helped by an ace and a lucky nick off the net. You can’t see how Raonic is going to get back into this. Murray’s just not offering up any chances.
RAONIC 3-4 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:30: Milos Raonic has only served four aces in this match so far. Against Federer in the semi-final he bashed down 23 of the blighters. He still wins this game to 15 though. Comfy.
RAONIC 3-3 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16.27: What the hell was Milos Raonic doing? He had the court as his mercy but volleyed it straight back to Murray who said ‘ta very much’ and just passed him down the line. When Murray wins the next point, the chance is gone and the Scot goes nuts, screaming at his box like a mentalist.
RAONIC 2-3 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:25: The first sniff of an opening for Raonic. He’s 0-30 on the Murray serve. Murray bags one back but it’s a rasping cross-court forehand from the Raonic that gives him two break points. A wide serve out to Raonic’s forehand saves the first one for Murray while another sloppy backhand from Raonic straight into the net saves the next. Cue guttural roar from the Scotsman.
16:20: It’s hardly been a classic but it’s been a ruthlessly efficient and controlled showing by Murray. And here’s another chance for him. He’s 15-30 on the Raonic serve but the Canadian is on to him and snuffs out the chance, first with a backhand smash at the net and then with some trademark heavy artillery from his service.
RAONIC 2-2 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:15: Milos Raonic lets out a booming primal scream after he slices another simple backhand into the net. Murray’s picked up on it too. He’s got him on the ropes. Game to Murray.
RAONIC 1-2 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:14: Andy Murray is just a ridiculous athlete and his energy levels are insane. He’ll chase every ball, no matter how unlikely it is he’ll win the point and it’s certainly keeping Raonic on his toes. That said, the big Canadian has just won his service game to 15.
RAONIC 1-1 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:11: Brilliant…
16:07: First double fault of the match for Andy Murray as Milos Raonic finally gets back after a very lengthy loo break and, it seems, a change of shirt and shorts. Murray’s not best pleased and there’s real venom in his shots as he edges the game, winning to 30.
RAONIC 0-1 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY TWO SETS TO LOVE.
16:06: Good point, well made…
16:02: And it’s a very long way back for Milos Raonic now. If he’s going to win this he’s going to have to take it to the distance. Is that likely? Not on the current evidence. He’s not even had a break point yet.
16:00: And it’s five set points to Andy Murray. He loses the first, going long with a chopped backhand return and the second as Raonic pulls out another stinking serve. But now he’s on his own serve. And a deep second serve gives ANDY MURRAY THE SECOND SET!!
ANDY MURRAY WINS THE SECOND SET! (4-6, 6-7)
15:57: And it’s 5-1 to Murray as they change ends and, to be honest, Raonic looks like he’s given up the ghost on this set.
15:56: Another mini-break for Murray who somehow survives an onslaught from Raonic to pass him cross-court. Murray leads 4-1!
15:55: And Murray wins both his service points! Looking good! Murray leads 3-0!
15:54: Straight into the tie break. Raonic to serve first. And he’s cuffed a volley into the net! Murray leads 1-0!
15:52: Murray has to be on guard here now, not least because Raonic is something of a tie-break specialist. But that’s what we’re going to have as some wayward cross-court forehands from Raonic hand the game to the Scot. It’s six games all!
RAONIC 6-6MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:48: Followed by exactly the same by Milos Raonic. The perfect service game for the Canadian with one of the shots of the match so far, a peach of a backhand drop volley that just cleared the net.
RAONIC 6-5 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:46: That’s just what Murray needs right now, a stress-free, energy-saving service game win. Still too tight.
RAONIC 5-5 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:43: Not sure about that to be honest…
15:35: This is interesting. Murray’s seems to be having a go at someone in either his party or his opponent’s. Maybe he’s just found out how much the strawberries are? He’s also just called himself an “idiot” before lashing an incredible shot back at Raonic after his bullet smash. He won’t give up on any shot or situation and he even gets back the quickest serve of the tournament – a jaw-dropping 147mph – to set up another break point. You sense this a critical game. Can he deliver? Not if Raonic has anything to do with it and some seriously heavyweight serving gets him out of the hole he found himself in. Well played.
RAONIC 5-4 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:34: Murray takes the game 40-30, helped by his fastest serve of the day, a 129mph sizzler that Raonic can barely get a racket to. Murray still edging this but only just.
RAONIC 4-4 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:31: This match is yet to catch fire. It’s very tight, very tense, with precious few chances for either man to exploit.
15.28: New balls. And they’re to Raonic’s liking as well, as he thunders another ace down. But Murray senses a chance, taking the game to 30 all with a sensational backhand pass down the line and then watching Raonic miss a dolly of a volley to take it to deuce. Murray’s delicate touch around the net helps him to another break point but Raonic has him scurrying around the court and gets the better of the Scot. Another ace and a lazy slap of a forehand from Murray seal the deal for the Canadian.
RAONIC 4-3 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:21: Another ace from Murray as the line judge in the middle foolishly turns her back and lets it hit her at 114mph, right on the posterior. Schoolgirl error. Routine win for Murray.
RAONIC 3-3 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:17: Raonic takes the game to love, aided by a 135mph ace that Andy Murray didn’t even see, yet alone hit. This is so close at the moment and it’s only Murray’s ability to snuff out any errors in his own service game that’s keeping his nose in front.
RAONIC 3-2 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:13: First challenge of the day and the first time we get to hear that really annoying handclap everyone does when one happens. Murray think his serve hit the line but computer says no. He still glides to a comfortable 40-15 though.
RAONIC 2-2 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15.09: Fair play to Milos Raonic. He’s really hanging in here, even though he’s not quite brought his A-game. He wins the third game of the set with some comfort and it’s still very tight.
RAONIC 2-1 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:07: Murray wins his first service game of the second set to 30 but he’s still struggling from that end of the court. That said, he’s getting 70% of his first serves in and that’s always likely to make things difficult for Raonic.
RAONIC 1-1 MURRAY. MURRAY LEADS BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
15:04: I’m guessing Bradley and Irina camped out and queued up for their tickets…
14.59: A laser-lke Murray backhand pass from a wide Raonic serve helps take the first game of the second set to deuce and when Raonic double faults, it’s another break point for Andy Murray. He doesn’t take it and Raonic steps his game up a notch to close out a vital hold.
RAONIC LEADS 1-0 IN THE SECOND SET, MURRAY BY ONE SET TO LOVE.
14:57: That was a very satisfactory first set from Andy Murray. Precious few unforced errors, no double faults and he coped more than adequately with Raonic’s bullet serve. He really needs to ram home this advantage. Crucial part of the match coming up you’d think.
14.54: AND ANDY MURRAY TAKES THE FIRST SET 6-4 AFTER 41 MINUTES!
14.53: It’s 40-15 and Murray has two set points…
14:52: I think there should be a ban on players using their towels after each and every point. Drives me nuts.
14:51: Murray serving for the first set…
14:49: I think Murray has got the measure Of Raonic now, even though Raonic holds from 15-30 down. The Canadian has also hurled down his first ace, clocking in at 138mph, and drawing gasps from middle-aged women in Union Jack headwear.
14:45: New balls. Love it when you open a new tin of balls, that satisfying release of pressure from canister. Meanwhile, Murray continues to struggle with the sun and the breeze from the northern end of Centre Court but he manages to find an ace – the first of the match, surprisingly. The game goes to deuce as Raonic blazes a thunderbolt of a backhand right at Murray but the Scot finds his range with two excellent first serves to extend his lead.
MURRAY LEADS 5-3
14.37: Raonic is coming into the net after virtually every serve that he hammers down, including one that he nails at 140mph that nearly decapitates one of the line judges. But Murray has his measure and a sublime backhand pass from the baseline helps set up two break points. He blows the first one, overhitting another backhand but he takes the second as a rasping forehand is duffed into the net by Raonic from close range. MURRAY BREAKS!
MURRAY LEADS 4-3!
14:33: No-nonsense service game from Andy Murray as he wins to love.
RAONIC 3-3 MURRAY
14:30: It’s easy to paint the picture of Raonic as being little more than a tennis battering ram but he has a lovely touch around the net and a real presence when he does come in. It’s paying dividends too as he eases to a very comfortable win.
RAONIC 3-2 MURRAY
14:27: Murray seems to be struggling with the breeze when he’s serving. He’s been very conservative with his first serves so far with one touching just 90mph. I can serve faster than that. Still, it’s doing the job and he wins a solid service game 40-30.
RAONIC 2-2 MURRAY
14:25: The famous Centre Court slope…
14.22: There was a very big miss on a backhand from the baseline by Raonic there with the court at his mercy followed by a nervy volley into the net. Murray has a break point at 30-40 but Raonic’s second serve is exceptional and he recovers brilliantly to take the next three points and the game.
RAONIC LEADS 2-1
14:19: And it’s an equally impressive service game from Murray now as he wins to 15. There were some genuinely punishing forehand drives in that game that Raonic simply had no answer to as well. Over to you Milos…
ALL SQUARE AT 1-1 IN THE FIRST SET.
14:16: A couple of 139mph looseners from Raonic there as he eases his way into the match with an excellent service game winning 40-15, the highlight of which was a 17-shot rally where the Canadian had Murray scampering all over the court. Impressive stuff.
RAONIC LEADS 1-0.
14.12: OK, the knock-up is done and dusted and the time for talking is over (although not from me it’s not). It’s Raonic to serve. Let’s do this thing!
14:05: Perks of the job #2…
14:02: A quick mouthful of Robinson’s Barley Water (does anybody actually drink that?), get the toss out of the way and the players will soon be knocking up. Actually, why don’t they have national anthems at Wimbledon?
14:00: So here come the players who, for once, don’t have to carry their own bags out on to Centre Court. Get somebody else to do it, why not? It’s a mighty long walk to be fair. They’ll be knackered by the time they get there. AND HERE COME MURRAY AN RAONIC!!
13:55: Just clocked London’s new mayor Sadiq Khan taking his seat in the posh seats. Perks of the job.
13:52: Indeed…
13.48: Center Court is filling up rapidly as we head towards the start at 2pm. I’ve got a feeling that this is going to be much closer than everyone anticipates…
13.44: FACT ME! While Raonic’s first serve could take someone’s head off/teeth out, he’s markedly less consistent than Murray, serving 28 double faults in the championships to date. Murray, meanwhile, has served just six.
13:37: Interesting to see both men coached by legends of the game at the moment with Murray back with Ivan Lendl and Raonic now guided by John McEnroe. They should play doubles instead. That would be a hell of a game.
13:32: Andy Murray certainly has the edge in the head-to-head winning six matches to Raonic’s three. The Scot has also won the last five encounters too, including the last time they met at the final of Queen’s just last month.
13:30: FACT ME! Andy Murray has had 51 aces so far in the tournament. Milos Raonic? One hundred and thirty-seven!!!
13:28: Andy needs to channel his inner Karate Kid today…
13.25: The race is on to get the best spots on Henman Hill/Murray Mound/Raonic Ridge…
13:21: Support is pouring in for Andy Murray…
13.18: But Murray shouldn’t underestimate his opponent, not least because Raonic’s mammoth serve. The man’s a beast. In the semi-final against Roger Federer he zipped one down at 144mph and his fastest ever is a mind-boggling 155mph.
13:14: This season, of course, Murray has already reached two Grand Slam finals, losing in both the Australian Open and the French Open (below) to his nemesis, Novak Djokovic. But he’s not on the other side of the net today and, for once, Andy Murray will start as the hot favourite.
13.06: So we have less than an hour to go before we get under way on Centre Court. This will be Murray’s third Wimbledon final (W1, L1) and his 11th Grand Slam final in his career. He’s been there, done that and got the t-shirt (that he’s contractually obliged to wear). But this is a maiden appearance in a Slam final for Raonic so it’ll be interesting to see how he copes with the pressure.
13:03: Hello, good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of today Men’s Singles Final from Wimbledon between Canada’s Milos Raonic and Britain’s/Scotland’s* Andy Murray. I’m Gavin Newsham and I’ll be here all afternoon…
(* Depending on the result)
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