WIMBLEDON, England—The great ones rise to the occasion, they say, and win without their best. And that’s exactly what happened on Centre Court on Thursday, according to the papers here this morning. Only a star, a grizzled veteran of pressure-packed contests would have known how to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. The Sun sums up the tributes to this Scottish hero, whose legend grows with each passing day:
SIR ALEX STARS IN ANOTHER TRIUMPH
Wait, who? Was there a second epic match on Centre Court that I missed?
Elsewhere the paper offers another clue:
FERGIE TIME
Murray’s late win thrills Sir Alex
OK, we have a first name and part of a last name, and we know that someone named “Murray” was involved in this scene as well, though he’s obviously just doing this Alex character’s bidding.
But just when I think I'm getting it straight, the Mirror loses me again with this headline:
SQUEAKY BUM TIME
Relief for Andy—and Fergie—as he seals brave comeback victory from two sets down
I won’t ask what “squeaky bum time” is. And admittedly, as a soccer-illiterate American, I’m not the right person to appreciate the significance of having Sir Alex Ferguson, the former manager of Manchester United and a fellow Scot of Murray's, in the Royal Box. Last year, when he gate-crashed a Murray press conference at the U.S. Open with a certain Scottish movie star, I tweeted, “Sean Connery and some guy are in the press room.”
The papers also mention that Murray won a five-set thriller over Fernando Verdasco to advance to his fifth straight Wimbledon semifinal. But they can’t help doing a little tut-tutting along the way. The Brits want him to win, not revive the all those terrifying memories of tea times past with Tim Henman:
The Mirror blares:
MURRAY SENDS UK INTO NERVOUS MELTDOWN
Roller-coaster five-set victory a nerve-shredding wake-up call
The Telegraph warns:
CONGRATULATIONS ANDY, BUT PLEASE DON’T PUT US THROUGH THAT AGAIN
The Times scolds:
NAUGHTY BOY FINDS HIS FEET JUST IN TIME AFTER HORRENDOUS START TO QUARTERFINAL
The *Independent*remembers:
ALL OUR YESTERDAYS AS ANDY REPRISES THE HENMAN YEARS
A double fault and two awful errors put Britain back in the emotional mangle
The *Mail*says what’s on most people’s minds:
THAT WAS SHEER TORTURE, ANDY
While the *Guardian*strips it down to the rawest emotion:
PHEW