Grass Clippings: Murray’s Moment in the Sun, Delpo’s Bronze is Golden

By Chris Oddo

(August 5, 012)—When a week at Wimbledon ends with a British player circling Centre Court with the Union Jack draped around the shoulders, you know something crazy has been going on. It was that kind of weekend at the All England Club. And to make things even stranger, the sun was shining.

Here are 5 quick thoughts on the final weekend of Olympic Tennis:

1. Where Does Murray Go From Here?

Andy Murray called his 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 thrashing of 7-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer the biggest win of his career, but the real test of this victories’ importance will be known years from now, when we find out if the victory really caused a sea change in Murray’s fortunes.

Will this Olympic gold be to Andy Murray what the 2010 Davis Cup was to Novak Djokovic? Or, will Murray end up being the Elena Dementieva of men’s tennis, a player who experienced his one and only breakthrough on the Olympic stage but could never recreate the magic at the Slams?

These are all fair questions, but in my heart of hearts, I’m with the pro-Murray, pro-celebratory crowd—which brings me to item No. 2 on today's edition of Grass Clippings…

2. The Light Bulb Clicked for Murray Today…

The smashing result was one thing, and in and of itself it was epic for the Scot, but the way that Murray owned the result was perhaps even more impressive. It wouldn’t have been at all surprising if Murray had downplayed the significance of his win out of reverence for Federer (and for his own place in tennis's pecking order), saying ‘oh, it’s not a Slam, and I haven’t really accomplished anything yet,’ but he did nothing of the sort. In true Jo-Willy-Tsonga-esque form Murray made a proper celebration out of the victory, jumping into his player’s box and planting a big kiss on his girlfriend Kim Sears, draping the Union Jack around his broad shoulders and carrying it around like he had just slayed every demon that had ever dared haunt him throughout his whole career. Murray wasn’t sheepish, he wasn’t subdued; he was downright ecstatic, and he basked in the glory of the moment like a man who believed he deserved that glory.

On Sunday, Murray looked and acted the part of a man who had finally unlocked the secret to himself. The light bulb somewhere deep inside him had switched on. You could almost feel that self-loathing that used to characterize Murray, that sense of relative inadequacy that he had harbored for far too long, and that had left hin in tears on too many occasions, dissipating into thin air.

And what a relief it was.

3. Del Potro’s Bronze Was a Golden Moment

If there was any question about the significance of Olympic tennis—despite the fact that the ITF treats it as a run-of-the-mill event in terms of the piddly ranking points it hands out to medal winners—those questions were erased the moment that Juan Martin del Potro dropped to his knees after defeating Novak Djokovic to earn the bronze. Del Potro was clearly feeling the love of country and the love of the Olympic Games today on Court No. 1, and his emotional response to becoming Argentina’s first ever medal winner in men’s tennis was one of a multitude of outpourings witnessed at Wimbledon this week (think: Bryan Brothers, Williams Sisters, Tsonga, Baghdatis, Kirilenko, Azarenka, Robson, Lopez and Murray, Hewitt) that reminded us of the plain and simple fact: The Olympics are good for tennis and tennis is good for the Olympics.

As far as Del Potro goes, if his inspiring effort at Wimbledon this week is any indication, he’s a vastly improved grass-court player who can be considered among a handful of players with the ability to win Wimbledon in the not-too-distant future.

4. Speaking of Bronze…

Nice work by Victoria Azarenka to keep her head up after losing to Serena Williams in the semifinals. The feisty Belarusian came back to take the bronze in singles with a win over Maria Kirilenko on Saturday, and today in the last match of the tournament she paired with Max Myrni to overtake the Murray-Robson pairing in a thrilling tiebreak.

5. Serena and Venus: Unmatched

Serena and Venus Williams each own four gold medals, and there is nobody else in the history of the sport that can make that claim. There isn’t much that you can add to a statement like that, but I’ll try: Each has carved their own uplifting path to glory this summer, with Serena rising from the ashes of a Paris flameout to return to her ferocious best at Wimbledon and then managing the near-impossible feat of losing only 17 games in six matches on the Olympic stage against top-notch competition. “You know, lately I've just been focused only on tennis, nothing else, no distractions, no life,” said Serena yesterday with a smile.

If it was only that simple for the rest of the tour…

Meanwhile, Venus has fought the ups and downs of Sjogren’s disease with mixed results on the singles tour, but when you put her on court with Serena, she radiates that peaceful calm that has always made her one of the most alluring, most remarkably gifted players in women’s tennis. (In other words, Serena COMPLETES HER.)

The story of the Williams Sisters--both over 30 and supposed to be slowing down, mind you--is not just a story of dominating tennis. It’s a story of family. It's a story of overcoming odds, both physical and sociopolitical. It's a story of respect—for each other and for the sport that their lives have been built around. With their latest stretch of dominance, the Williamses have once again reminded us (Americans, tennis fans, lovers of dominance, professional brilliance, and obstacle-hurdlers) of the fact that some athletes are just magical in every conceivable way.

Venus and Serena, in a nutshell, are that type of magical.

(Photo Credit: AP)