Good to know America is still the land of opportunity.
Andy Murray followed up his gold medal performance in London by becoming the first Brit since Fred Perry won the U.S. in 1936 to capture a tennis major. The Scotsman beat Serbian star Novak Djokovic in a five-set, five-hour marathon Monday at the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y.
“Relief is probably the best word I would use to describe how I’m feeling just now,” Murray said after the match. “You do think: Is it ever going to happen? I think everybody’s in kind of shock.”
Murray also became the second player not named Federer, Nadal, or Djokovic to win a Grand slam tournament in the last seven years, joining only London bronze medalist Juan Martin del Potro, who won the U.S. Open in 2009.
This was the third straight finals appearance (including Wimbledon and the Olympics) for the 25-year-old, who slid past 2010 U.S. champ, Rafael Nadal, to take his spot as the third ranked player in the world. Countrymen Sean Connery looked on proudly from the stands, then probably challenged Murray to a match.