Murray wins US Open
Scottish star makes history with grand slam
title
Andy Murray has made sporting history by winning the US Open
tennis championship. He is the first British man for 76 years to
win a grand slam title!
The Scot beat the Serbian defending champion Novak Djokovic in
five sets: 7-6, 7-5, 2-6, 3-6, 6-2 in the Arthur Ashe Stadium in
Flushing Meadows, USA.
"I'm very, very happy, and I hope I can see another British
player in my lifetime win a grand slam," he said.
Andy fulfilled his dream of becoming a major champion just 36
days after winning gold in the men's singles in the Olympics.
Cheered on by the acting legend Sean Connery and Manchester
United manager Sir Alex Ferguson, the 25-year-old won in a match
which lasted four hours and 54 minutes.
In preparation for the big game, Murray watched the film Wedding
Crashers and played Scrabble. His approach paid off when he took
the final set 6-2 to win his first grand slam.
Novak Djokovic paid tribute to the new champion after the match.
"I had a great opponent," he said. "He deserved to win this grand
slam more than anybody because over the years he has been a top
player.
Fred Perry was the last British man to win a major tennis title
in 1936. He won his first big tournament on the very same date in
1933 after winning Olympic gold!
Virginia Wade was the last British woman to hold such a title,
having won Wimbledon in 1977.
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Murray wins US Open
What does it take to become a grand slam
winner?
How would you like to play tennis for nearly five hours a day,
plus do an hour's general fitness training? What about having
to stay in school until 8pm to fit in your school work? Fancy
leaving your family and friends at the age of 15 to move to a
foreign country, so you can train with the best coaches?
This is exactly what Andy Murray did when he was a
teenager. He's reaping the rewards now, having just won the
US open and become the first British man to win a grand slam title
for 76 years.
Murray started playing tennis when he was three years old and
played in his first tournament when he was five.
Leon Smith, the sport star's coach from the age of 11, says he
had never seen a child like Murray. "He was unbelievably
competitive. We used to play short tennis, and he wanted to
win every point."
Roger Draper, the chief executive of the Lawn Tennis Association
(LTA), believes that Murray inspires young sporting hopefuls
throughout Scotland.
"Kids look at Andy and think if he can do it … and he comes from
Dunblane, then there's no reason I can't do it."
Draper's theory will be put to the test in the 2014 Commonwealth
Games in Glasgow, when tennis will feature as an event for just the
second time. Do you have the talent, but maybe more
importantly, the dedication to get to the podium in four years
time?
The LTA prescribes 12 hours of tennis a week for 12-year-old
boys. The advice for boys is to play more hours than your age
if you are over 12, but less if you are under 12. Girls can
train for longer, from an earlier age - 10 hours a week for
10-year-olds, and more hours than your age if you are over 10.
And that's not all. Young players should also fit in lots
of other sports and up to five fitness sessions a week! This
is all before you even get to a tournament - the summer season
lasts from April until September.
Parents' blogs on the LTA site talk of 10-year-olds who have
already left school to train full time at special academies, and
travel hundreds of miles at the weekends to take part in
competitions.
Even after all that hard work, champions like Andy Murray still
suffer in big matches.
"Physically it's challenging," Andy said after the game. "It is
something I have never done before. I am just so relieved, like I
said, to finally have got through and can put this one behind me
and hopefully win more."
Join us LIVE on Glow TV - Tune in this Friday
14 September to speak live to two Olympic canoeists - gold medal
winner Tim Baillie AND double silver medallist David Florence! Sign up here.
Click here to try our Andy
Murray quiz
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suggestions
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