Wimbledon

Is it just possible...a British winner of a singles title at Wimbledon this year?

It is just possible. But what a weight of expectation and hope on one man's shoulders. It can't make the job any easier.

Good luck, Andy!

Reading through various reports/opinions in the media yesterday most would like Andy to win but think that Federer is really going to. One or two sports writers reckoned that if Andy can nudge Feds confidence then he is in with a chance. I got the strange impression they would like him to win because it is Jubilee Year and the Olympics are here. One or two said that Andy is on home ground and the force of good will will undermine Fed. Yeh, well. Andy, may the Force be with you.

Hose me down, I've got Murraymania.

I have mixed feelings over this.
I'd love for a Brit to win the final, but I find it hard to warm to Murray even though I like his playing style. He doesn't hang everything on a heavy, fast serve. He's just such a stand-offish sort and the whole 'outsider-because-I'm-a-Scot-and-not-from-a-privileged-background' persona bugs me a little.

And, yeah, Miranda, the screaming got on my last, shredded nerve too.

I did not know about the stand-offish side to his personality, but that may be how he over comes the pressures of his sport. I do not envy him, he must know that so many people want him to win.

I like him because he looks like he might be a distant cousin of mine. Also, it will stop everyone going on about Fred Perry and 1938 ever again. With that out of the way, there'd only be excessive grunting and Cliff Richard standing between me and a perfect tennis viewing experience.

I'm not daring to call it. I've been a Murray fan for years, and sat through three Slam finals. But I also have great respect for Federer. What it will come down for me, is which Murray turns up today: the one that has beaten Federer in Masters, or the one who has yet to win a set in a Slam Final.

Having lived in Stirling for 5 years, he's still the local boy to me. So I'll be rooting for Murray down to the last point.

*And anyone who knows Dunblane, knows it's a million miles from 'not privileged. It is in fact, one of the wealthiest towns in Scotland.

Gothicangel you won't be the only one rooting for him. I do my weekly shop on Sunday morning and I have never seen the supermarkets so busy at ten o'clock! The media are saying that the majority of people will be indoors (or at a pub) watching the game. In one supermarket the couple in front of me were buying Champagne. The woman smiled and said "I don't care if he wins or loses. He got there and that is the important thing!" Nice sentiment and I agreed with her.

Shakesbear said:

Gothicangel you won't be the only one rooting for him. I do my weekly shop on Sunday morning and I have never seen the supermarkets so busy at ten o'clock! The media are saying that the majority of people will be indoors (or at a pub) watching the game. In one supermarket the couple in front of me were buying Champagne. The woman smiled and said "I don't care if he wins or loses. He got there and that is the important thing!" Nice sentiment and I agreed with her.

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I only wish I was still living in Stirling. I would have found a good seat at the Dunblane Hotel. As it is I will be watching via BBC iPlayer.

Well Murray gave it a damn good go, took the first set too. A lesser player than Federer would have folded.

I take back every bad thought I've ever had about Murray. He put up a hell of a fight and his speech made me cry.

He'll be back. He's young and he's determined.

What Firedrake said.

He did everything right in that match. When the disappointment fades, he can proudly say he is the best British tennis player since Fred Perry.

Bring on the Olympics and the US Open.

I thought the turning point in the match was the third set, Federer up 3 games to 2, Murray serving. Federer managed to break serve in a very long game with ads on both sides. I never felt after that that Murray could recover.

Murray played well, but lets not forget it wasn't so long ago that Federer was the undisputed best player in the world, virtually unbeatable. He may no longer be the amazingly dominant player he once was, but he can still bring it on any given day.

The day after the Wimbledon final someone I know was saying Murray was a whiner, and wah wah wah, crying, "He's hopeless."

I simply said, "Oh? And how many Wimbledon finals have you been in?"

I should probably ask this idiot how many Olympic gold medals he's won, as well.

I loved his post-Wimbledon speech. It was heartfelt and showed he's human. (Never understood the 'dour Scot' thing anyway. He's got a dry sense of humour. Dry, not dour.)

At the Olympics, just when I was thinking, "Andy hasn't served any aces [note: may or may not be true; just what was in my mind], he goes and seals his victory with two aces in a row. I jumped up and cheered .