In 2012, Andy Murray finally achieved what no player from his country had managed to do in 76 years, when he hoisted his first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
Just months after his loss to Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final, Murray reached the championship match at Flushing Meadows, where he beat Novak Djokovic in a five-set thriller.
The triumph marked the first time a Briton had emerged victorious at a major since 1936, when Fred Perry won the US Open.
Following the final, Murray, who had suffered four losses in major finals up to this point, spoke to the media and reflected on his historic feat.
Andy Murray’s response when asked about the 76-year British drought at majors
In his post-match press conference, he was asked: “With this profession comes a ton of pressure. How much pressure has it been, the hopes Britain has had upon you? And also, how great a relief is it to finally have shed that?”
Murray responded: “Yeah, I did get asked about that all of the time for the last few years. Most press conferences I would do, I would get asked a question along those sorts of lines, and it does build pressure a little bit.
“You try not to think about it much when you’re playing, but like I said, when I was serving for the match, it’s something that, you know, I realised how important that moment was, and, you know, for British tennis or British sport.
“It’s something that hasn’t happened for a long time, obviously in our country. I’m obviously proud that I managed to, you know, to achieve it, and, yeah, I don’t have to get asked that stupid question again (Laughter).”
| Round | Opponent |
|---|---|
| Final | Novak Djokovic (W) |
| Semi-Final | Tomas Berdych (W) |
| Quarter-Final | Marin Cilic (W) |
Earlier that summer, Murray won his first Olympic gold medal, which he said helped him in his pursuit of clinching his first major.
He explained: “I think even after Wimbledon this year, I felt much better after losing that match than I had after other slams.
“The support I had afterwards was something I hadn’t really experienced before. That also helped me to get over it quickly.
“The Olympics were, I mean, it was obviously huge for me. It was the biggest week of my life, for sure.
“But still today, you know, before the match, when I was sitting in the locker room beforehand, like I say, there are still doubts.
“You’re still thinking, If I lose this one, you know, no one’s ever lost their first five finals. You know, I just didn’t really want to be that person. It was good to win.”
Andy Murray explained how winning the US Open would change him
The champion said of the achievement: “I hope it doesn’t change me as a person. “That would be a bad thing. I think on the court, you know, hopefully if I get into situations like this in the future, I won’t be having all the doubts that I was having before the match today.
“I will maybe just be a little more confident than I was before this tournament. That’s actually it.
“You know, I hope it doesn’t change too much. I’m still going to have all the same friends and family and stay in the same house and train in the same places.
“Nothing much is going to change in that respect. There may be a few more busy press conferences now and a little bit more demands on my time, but that’s part of the job, and that’s worth it.”
Murray went on to pick up two more Grand Slams in his career, winning Wimbledon in both 2013 and 2016.
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