FLASHBACK: Andy Murray reaches first Grand Slam final at US Open

Andy Murray reached the first Grand Slam final of his career with the result of his life to beat world number one Rafael Nadal in a rain-delayed US Open semi-final in New York on this day in 2008.
Andy Murray in 2008. Pic by PA.Andy Murray in 2008. Pic by PA.
Andy Murray in 2008. Pic by PA.

The then 21-year-old returned to the court 26 hours after a downpour from Tropical Storm Hanna had left him two sets up but a break down in the third to complete a 6-2 7-6 4-6 6-4 victory over Nadal after three hours and 30 minutes of play across the two days.

In doing so the Scot became the first Briton to contest a grand slam final since Greg Rusedski lost to Patrick Rafter in the 1997 US Open final and was bidding to become the first British man to win a grand slam since Fred Perry at the US Open in 1936.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“It’s awesome to beat him, a great feeling. He’s beaten me five times in a row, so that was tough, and to do it in a semi meant it was really difficult,” said Murray.

“I’m going to have to play great if I want to have a chance of winning.”

Murray lost the final in straight sets to Roger Federer.

The Scot tasted more major final heartbreak in the Australian Open in 2010 and 2011 but the US Open would be the scene of his first grand slam win with victory over Novak Djokovic, before twice winning Wimbledon.

--

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this story on our website. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In order for us to continue to provide high quality and trusted local news on this free-to-read site, I am asking you to also please purchase a copy of our newspaper whenever you are able to do so.

Our journalists are highly trained and our content is independently regulated by IPSO to some of the most rigorous standards in the world.

But being your eyes and ears comes at a price. So we need your support more than ever to buy our newspapers during this crisis.

With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our local valued advertisers - and consequently the advertising that we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you helping us to provide you with news and information by buying a copy of our newspaper when you can safely.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

You can also enjoy unlimited access to the best news from across Northern Ireland and the UK by subscribing to newsletter.co.uk

With a digital subscription, you can read more than five articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.newsletter.co.uk/subscriptions now to sign up.

Thank you

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.