Advertisement

Wimbledon Showdown: Britain Backs Murray

Wimbledon Showdown: Britain Backs Murray

Andy Murray is holding the hopes of the nation in his hands as he bids to end 76 years of heartache for Britain at Wimbledon.

The 25-year-old, who takes on six-time champion Roger Federer on Centre Court later, is the first Briton to reach the men's singles final in 74 years.

And he stands on the brink of history in his battle to become the first British male to take the trophy since Fred Perry in 1936.

The Scot will be hoping to echo the performance of compatriot Jonny Marray, who last night became the first British man to win the Wimbledon men's doubles tournament in the same amount of time - 76 years - after his victory with partner Freddie Nielsen.

Marray, 31, last night said he could not believe his historic victory, and wanted to "cherish every moment".

He was the first British person to reach the final of the men's doubles since Bobby Wilson and Mike Davies did so in 1960. The last time a Briton won in the event was also in 1936.

He said he hoped Murray could find success too, and added: "Obviously everyone's hoping for him to win.

"He's come so close in a lot of Grand Slams so many times before. He's working hard and he's right at the top of his game. I don't see why he can't."

Around 17 million people are set to tune in to watch the final, with the All England club expected to be full to capacity.

Dozens of fans camped overnight as they queued up for a spot on Murray Mount inside the grounds, where they will watch the final on a big screen.

In Murray's hometown of Dunblane, many were expected to fill pubs to watch the match on TV.

Good luck wishes have been pouring in, with Prime Minister David Cameron and boxer Amir Khan among those offering messages of support.

Mr Cameron, the Duchess of Cambridge, Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond and David and Victoria Beckham are among those expected to be in the crowd at Centre Court.

The Scot was seen practising for the final at SW19 on Saturday as his mother Judy revealed she had received a message from Mr Cameron, writing on Twitter: "Its not every day u get an email from the Prime Minister. Just saying."

She is said to have revealed to a barman at Murray's local pub in Surrey that he was "feeling good going into the match".

Demand for tickets has soared, with online ticket marketplace Viagogo saying the average ticket sale price jumped from £3-4,000 to an average of £5-6,000. At one point over the weekend a pair tickets were listed on the site for £32,000.

Murray has admitted he will be the underdog at Centre Court, saying: "It's a great challenge, one where I'm probably not expected to win the match, but one that, if I play well, I'm capable of winning.

"If you look at his (Federer's) record here over the past 10 years or so, it's been incredible.

"So the pressure that I would be feeling, if it was against somebody else, I guess it would be different. There will be less on me on Sunday because of who he is."

Murray said he needs to find the "perfect" performance against Federer, who is looking to equal Pete Sampras' record of seven Wimbledon titles.

It will be the third time Murray and Federer have met in the finals of grand slams, with the Swiss triumphing at the US Open in 2008 and at Melbourne in 2010, both times in straight sets.