Andy Murray has become the first man in history to successfully defend an Olympic title after defeating Juan Martin del Potro 7-5, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, in a four-hour marathon.
In a roller coaster match that saw 15 breaks of serve, the crowd at the Olympic Tennis Centre was treated to an array of spectacular play as both men pushed themselves to their mental and physical limits.
The prospect of a gold medal meant a lot to both men, but for very different reasons. Murray was bidding to become the first man in history to win back-to-back gold medals and del Potro was hoping to strike gold after overcoming a career-threatening wrist injury.
This reason was the likely explanation for the roller coaster opening set that saw five breaks of service. Murray seemed to be in control initially after grabbing two consecutive breaks to edge ahead 4-1. The early advantage for the Brit was short lived as his inconsistent serving was rightly punished by his world class opponent. It seemed like a tiebreaker beckoned until a sudden push in aggressive play from the world No.2 towards the end of the set. As del Potro tried to relieve the pressure Murray placed on him, a forehand shank handed the Brit two set points. He capitalized on his second with a backhand passing shot down the line.
Clinching the opening set, many assumed that Murray would pull away from his tiresome rival, who endured a three-hour clash with Rafael Nadal the day before. This was not the case with the former US Open champion breaking at the start of the second set to open up a 2-0 lead. Firing gigantic forehand winners and dictating play, del Potro held his nerve during a nerve-wrecking service game to clinch the second set with his fourth chance thanks to a forehand winner being hammered down the line. The comeback sent the crowd into hysteria with the Argentine fans chanted ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’ to spur their player on.
Engrossed in a titanic battle against a determined del Potro, the world No.2 waited for his opportunity to pounce. That occurred in the sixth game of the third set as his opponent faltered on his serve. Del Potro produced back-to-back double faults (his first of the match), to hand Murray the lead before clawing his way back to deuce. The Brit converted the break after a exchanged concluded with a forehand from the Argentine going long. The defending champion once again regained his momentum as he hit a stunning cross-court return to take a two-sets-to-one lead.
Edging his way towards the gold medal, proceedings were still far from straightforward for Murray. The fourth set saw both men pushed to the limit of their physical abilities as they struggled to hold serve. Del Potro appeared to be struggling with his left thigh, but still managed to break for a chance to serve the set out at 5-4. Murray prevented the decider as he fended off four set points in the most dramatic game of the match to level 5-5. Battling to a point away from his second gold medal, the Wimbledon champion took the historic win when a Del Potro backhand failed to go over the net.
ANDY MURRAY WINS THE GOLD AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/Y16t2NPYzO
— snap: BreakPointBR (@BreakPointBR) 15 August 2016
Murray sealed his win with the help of 10 aces and 46 unforced errors. It is the third Olympic medal of his career after winning a gold and bronze at the 2012 London Games.
Earlier on in the day, Kei Nishikori clinched the bronze medal after defeat Rafael Nadal in three sets.
