Wimbledon Hospitality 2010

It has been 74 years of hurt since Fred Perry became the last British man to win a grand-slam singles title, in the days of long trousers and wooden rackets. On Sunday, Andy Murray has his best chance yet of succeeding where Bunny Austin, John Lloyd and Tim Henman failed. Here we trace the ups and (mainly) downs of British men’s tennis over the past 7½ decades.

1936 Fred Perry wins the Wimbledon title for the third successive year and follows that up with his third US Championship title in four years. Great Britain, the Davis Cup holders, rule the tennis world.

1937 Henry “Bunny” Austin loses the final of the French Championships 6-1, 6-4, 6-3 to Henner Henkel, of Germany.

1938 Austin loses the Wimbledon final 6-1, 6-0, 6-3 to Donald Budge, of the United States. Austin, the last British Wimbledon men’s singles finalist, retires from tennis to join the Oxford Group, a Christian movement.

1993 James Baily becomes Australian junior champion, but turns his back on the game after one men’s match.

1997 Greg Rusedski reaches the US Open final, but loses to Pat Rafter 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 7-5. Surely the smiley Canadian — sorry, Briton — will now win Wimbledon.

2001 Surely this time? Henman leads Goran Ivanisevic by two sets to one in his third semi-final but loses to the Croat and the weather in five rollercoaster sets over three days, 7-5, 6-7, 0-6, 7-6, 6-3.

2002 A fourth Wimbledon semi-final for Henman is an anticlimax as Lleyton Hewitt, of Australia, wins 7-5, 6-1, 7-5.

2004 Two losing semi-finals in a year for Henman. In France he takes the first set against Guillermo Coria, of Argentina, but loses 3-6, 6-4, 6-0, 7-5, and in New York it is Roger Federer in three sets, 6-3 6-4, 6-4. Someone called Andy Murray becomes US Open junior champion.

2007 Jamie Murray takes that traditional British consolation prize, the Wimbledon mixed doubles title, with Jelena Jankovic, of Serbia.

2008 Andy Murray reaches the US Open final but, playing for the third day in a row, loses to Federer, 6-2, 7-5, 6-2.

2009 Murray follows in Henman’s footsteps, reaching — and losing — in the Wimbledon semi-finals to Andy Roddick, of the US, 6-4, 4-6, 7-6, 7-6.
Wimbledon 2010 Hospitality It’s Murray against Federer in the Australian Open final. A nation holds its breath.

Wimbledon Hospitality