Roger Federer Won Wimbledon 7th Title : " I've missed playing the final."

Roger Federer downs Andy Murray for seventh Wimbledon crown

LONDON: In the end the strokes of an artist silenced the will of a nation that was urging, pleading, begging its hero, 25-year-old Andy Murray, to bring home the title.

In Pics: Federer wins seventh Wimbledon title

Roger Federer, unmoved by the tide of hysteria that was closing in around him, sang his song like only he can on a bitter-cold London evening to claim his 17th Grand Slam title with a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 win.

The win gave Federer his seventh Wimbledon crown and the world No. 1 ranking, which will take him past Pete Sampras' record of 286 weeks at the game's top.

Federer then told the crowd, "I played my best tennis in the last two matches... I've missed playing the final. Feels good to have this trophy in my hands after three years, it feels like it never left my hands."

A weeping Murray, who took the runner-up plate, said: "I am getting closer. I want to thank all the people in my team. We did great. And the crowd, you make it easy here.

After my semifinal I heard people say, this is your best chance, Federer is 30, he's old. He's not bad for a 30-year-old!"

A day that began in a deluge of rain saw the skies clear miraculously a little before 2 pm, allowing the finalists to walk out on court in bright, sunny conditions.

The host nation was looking for its first champion since Fred Perry in 1936, and Federer was aiming for a slice of history.

The tension was thick in the air. In the Royal Box, Kate Middleton, wearing a Joseph Vanessa dress and jacket, and sister Pippa, cheered wildly, reflecting the emotions across Britain, where crowds braved wet, windy conditions from Murray Mound at SW19 to Festival Square inEdinburgh, to egg their hero on.

Federer started nervously after electing to serve. An overhit drive volley rewarding the world No. 4, playing his fourth Grand Slam final, with a break.

With the 15,000 strong crowd on its feet, save for the Scot's coach Ivan Lendl, Murray did well to hold serve.

With every passing point, it looked like the six-time champion, in his eighth Wimbledon final, was hitting his stride.

The Swiss wrung the break back in the fourth game on the back of a single-fisted backhand down-the-line, the Swiss' lazy elegance plastered all over it.

Then, in the 12-minute eighth game, Federer had a chance to tip the balance. Three opportunities, but each time the Swiss came up short.

Murray charged the baseline, scrambling back and forth to hold his own in the face of a stirring onslaught by his opponent.

Interestingly, as the clouds gathered over centre court, a sunny cheer spread in the crowd. Murray responded by breaking Federer's serve in the ninth game before serving out the set to log his first set in a Grand Slam final.

If Murray felt any nerves at all at the start of the match, they had more than steadied as he forced his opponent to play every ball. Federer, on the other hand, was beginning to look edgy.

The Swiss superstar, the first 30-something Wimbledon finalist since Jimmy Connors at the age of 31 in 1984, appeared a step off the pace, especially in the long rallies.

Games then went with serves and just as the set seemed to be heading into tie-break, Federer tightened the reins in the 12th game.

A daring drop shot giving the Swiss break-point, Federer made no mistake on the next point, powering through on a flood of groundstrokes to lock the set.

After splitting the first two games of the third set, Federer was up 40-0 in the third game when the skies opened up. The players returned on court 35 minutes later with the roof firmly drawn over centre court.

In what was a virtual second part of the match, played in near-perfect conditions, the Swiss master held serve at love.

It's hard to say what Lendl, Murray's coach who lost his first four Grand Slam finals, told his ward at the rain break, but it didn't seem to make a dent on the genius of Federer.

The 30-year-old artist, who broke in the sixth game after setting up nearly half-dozen breakpoint opportunities, sealed the effort with a screaming backhand.

Federer then served out the set in the ninth game. The Swiss master, who by now was swinging freely, got ahead in the fifth game of the fourth set, breaking Murray with a single-fisted backhand crosscourt that could've threaded a needle. Federer then didn't put a foot wrong as he served out the match on his second championship point.

Number Stats

1 Ranking retained by Federer for the first time since June 6, 2010 as he equalled Pete Sampras' all-time record of 286 weeks in the top spot. He's the second oldest player, at the age of 30 years and 335 days, to hold the No. 1 ranking, following Andre Agassi at 33 years and 131 days.

7 Number of championship wins for Federer at the Wimbledon as he equaled William Renshaw's and Pete Sampras' world record of winning the coveted singles title on seven occasions each. Federer has won in 2003 to 2007, 2009 and now in 2012, while Renshaw did it in the era of Challenge Rounds in 1881 to 1886 & 1889, and Sampras more recently in 1993 to 1995 & 1997 to 2000 (both years inclusive).




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