Over to you Andy! Marray sets an example with nail-biting doubles triumph
By MARK RYAN
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At 9.11pm, under the closed roof of that intimate, electric arena, little-known Jonny Marray became the first Brit to win the Wimbledon men's doubles since 1936 ... the same year the country last provided a singles champion.
Bulldog spirit, defiant defence, almost absurd sportsmanship, five sets in what felt like a day-nighter - this was a very British affair, eccentric, pulsating and it ended in glory too.
At last: A Brit wins Wimbledon! Jonny Marray (right) and Freddie Nielsen
The 31-year-old expressed the hope that Andy Murray might follow suit and win a Wimbledon title of his own.
'I'm sure he was watching because we're friends,' he said. 'And if my victory gives him any inspirational help, I'm sure that would be good.
'Everyone's hoping for him to win. He's come so close in a lot of Grand Slams before. He is working hard and he is right at the top of his game. I don't see why he can't.'
Magic moment: Great Britain's Jonny Marray (left) and Denmark's Freddie Nielsen celebrate their historic doubles win
Yet anyone - even Jonny Marray - could have mounted an effective argument as to why he should not have been able to win a Wimbledon title last night.
A new partnership with a Dane called Freddy Nielsen, a wild card and only their fourth tournament together.
Britain had not known men's doubles success here since Pat Hughes and Raymond Tuckey joined Fred Perry at the Champions' Ball 76 years ago.
'Obviously I didn't think we could ever win it,' admitted Marray.
And the strange thing is, he does not even look like a tennis player.
Short, pale-skinned, almost puny looking - that's Marray, but what inner strength he displayed.
Congratulations: Nielsen and Marray (right) shake hands with losers Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau
He didn't seem to let the prospect of a £130,000 pay-day distract him, even though he has earned an average of £23,000 from tennis in each of his 11 mediocre years in the sport.
'You can buy some new kit now, you only have two sets,' claimed Nielsen cheerfully.
'Actually, I've only been using one,' replied Marray. 'I washed it every day for superstitious reasons.'
Liverpool-born and Sheffield-raised, Marray isn't the type to let his new found fame go to his head.
'I've been saying to Freddy, I don't feel different in any way. It's just like winning another tennis match. I suppose it will take time to sink in.'
Champions!: Jonny Marray (left) and Freddie Nielsen
He can look back on a nightmare first set, which seemed to pass the Anglo-Danish pair by almost before they had warmed up.
Nielsen's serve was broken, though he later insisted that would not cost him a penny of his own share of the £260,000 prize money.
'It takes two to tango,' he pointed out.
There were no Brits dancing when the Swede Robert Lindstedt and the Romanian Horia Tecau closed out that first set 6-4, though.
At that early stage, Centre Court was half-empty, the celebrities had gone missing, and this first British assault on a Wimbledon title on this momentous weekend seemed to be dying almost before it was born.
That all changed in the second set, with the rather unsporting Mexican wave before Lindstedt's serve at 4-5. The Jonny-and-Freddy double act did not take long to take advantage, and Marray's magnificent return under pressure finally undid Tecau as he netted a shot he had to make. Excitement reached a peak as the third set went into a tiebreak.
Marray and Nielsen seemed home and dry at 5-0 - until the tea-drinking Englishman admitted he had touched the net with his racket and the score changed to 4-1.
The opposition almost punished his honesty, clawing the score back to 5-6 before a wonderfully deep serve from Marray helped give them a 2-1 sets advantage. And how Marray knew he should have made certain of victory in the fourth set at 5-2 in the tiebreak.
His pass down the line proved too long, then he volleyed twice into the net under extreme pressure. Suddenly it was the Swede and Romanian who were celebrating and we went into a final set.
'We couldn't believe it,' admitted Marray. 'We had been so close, but we told each other: "Stay calm and dig deep".'
Marray provided the winning foundations, serving out the first game of the final set, then leading a seemingly impossible rearguard action as he and Nielsen fended off smashes to break early. Nielsen held serve to take them three games ahead.
This time, there was no squandering of the advantage. And fittingly it was Marray who had the pleasure of serving for the Championship.
He made no mistake, Nielsen jumped into his arms and the first instalment of a weekend's tennis dreams had become happy reality.
If Marray can do it, why not Murray? Centre Court almost demands it after last night's heroic scenes.
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