Long wait for British champ continues
Source: Agencies |
July 3, 2011, Sunday
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Print Edition
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NYLON and the Biro had just been invented, the Mallard set a rail-speed record of 126 miles per hour and World War II was still a dark cloud on the horizon the last time a British player graced the Wimbledon men's singles final.
After Andy Murray's 7-5, 2-6, 2-6, 4-6 semifinal defeat by holder Rafael Nadal on Friday, the wait goes on.
If someone had stood on Centre Court in 1938 after Bunny Austin lost to American Don Budge and announced that virtually everyone watching would be dead and buried before another Briton were to grace the final they would have been quietly but firmly led away to the medical room for a lie down.
Two years earlier Fred Perry had won his third successive title having already completed a grand-slam clean sweep, while Austin also reached the final in 1932 as well as the French Open final in 1937.
Of course, the tournament bore not the slightest relation to the international affair it is nowadays - free tea was served to the players for the first time in 1938 - but Britain, which had produced the winner on 35 occasions, hardly looked a nation on the brink of three quarters of a century in the men's tennis wilderness.
Yet that is exactly how things panned out as the United States, Australia, then just about anyone bar the formerly dominant host nation planted their flag on the lush lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
There have been near-misses along the way, though, as Friday was the 11th semifinal defeat for a Briton in that period.
Mike Sangster ended a 23-year wait for a semifinalist in 1961 but lost in straight sets to American Chuck McGinley, before Roger Taylor took up the mantle.
Taylor reached the last four in 1967 and 1970 and, presented with a dream opportunity in 1973 when most of the leading players boycotted the tournament, lost a five-set semifinal marathon to Czech Jan Kodes.
It was another 15 years before "Henmania" signalled Tim Henman's annual assault on the nation's nerve strings. In 1998 and 1999 he lost in four sets to a Pete Sampras at the peak of his powers but looked poised to take that final step in 2001 when, after beating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, he went two sets to one up against Goran Ivanisevic after winning the third set 6-0.
However, rain forced the match into a third day and the Croatian stormed back in the morning to win in five. Henman reached a fourth and last semifinal the following year, but was beaten by Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
Murray has cranked the level up further, reaching seven grand slam semifinals, including three in a row at Wimbledon, and three finals, two Australian and one US.
After Andy Murray's 7-5, 2-6, 2-6, 4-6 semifinal defeat by holder Rafael Nadal on Friday, the wait goes on.
If someone had stood on Centre Court in 1938 after Bunny Austin lost to American Don Budge and announced that virtually everyone watching would be dead and buried before another Briton were to grace the final they would have been quietly but firmly led away to the medical room for a lie down.
Two years earlier Fred Perry had won his third successive title having already completed a grand-slam clean sweep, while Austin also reached the final in 1932 as well as the French Open final in 1937.
Of course, the tournament bore not the slightest relation to the international affair it is nowadays - free tea was served to the players for the first time in 1938 - but Britain, which had produced the winner on 35 occasions, hardly looked a nation on the brink of three quarters of a century in the men's tennis wilderness.
Yet that is exactly how things panned out as the United States, Australia, then just about anyone bar the formerly dominant host nation planted their flag on the lush lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
There have been near-misses along the way, though, as Friday was the 11th semifinal defeat for a Briton in that period.
Mike Sangster ended a 23-year wait for a semifinalist in 1961 but lost in straight sets to American Chuck McGinley, before Roger Taylor took up the mantle.
Taylor reached the last four in 1967 and 1970 and, presented with a dream opportunity in 1973 when most of the leading players boycotted the tournament, lost a five-set semifinal marathon to Czech Jan Kodes.
It was another 15 years before "Henmania" signalled Tim Henman's annual assault on the nation's nerve strings. In 1998 and 1999 he lost in four sets to a Pete Sampras at the peak of his powers but looked poised to take that final step in 2001 when, after beating Roger Federer in the quarterfinals, he went two sets to one up against Goran Ivanisevic after winning the third set 6-0.
However, rain forced the match into a third day and the Croatian stormed back in the morning to win in five. Henman reached a fourth and last semifinal the following year, but was beaten by Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
Murray has cranked the level up further, reaching seven grand slam semifinals, including three in a row at Wimbledon, and three finals, two Australian and one US.
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