Yesterday was great. This is better.

Andy Murray stood on Centre Court one month ago with tears in his eyes, finally embraced by a nation. Today he is the champion, thrashing the greatest player of all time 6-1, 6-2, 6-4 in a match that stunned observers in its lopsidedness. Murray was simply that good. The so called big four in Men’s tennis is now legitimate.

At 2-0 in the second set, serving to consolidate a break, Murray showed what he learned during that Wimbledon final. The Scot fought off six break points, holding serve and more importantly sent a message to Federer: I will not fade away this time.

Federer looked his age on this day. He’s played more tournaments than any other top men’s player in the last 12 months. The epic 19-17 final set against Juan Martin Del Potro took its toll on the 17 time Grand Slam Champion. Murray wasn’t exactly fresh himself, playing two mixed doubles matches the day before. These are mere footnotes. Federer put it best after the match:

“He was better than I was today,” said Federer, who had won every major singles title but Olympic gold. “It’s easy to come back [after losing Wimbledon], best-of-three, you know, go out third round maybe. You just feel more horrible. But he didn’t do that. He came, he won gold. I think this is how champions react.”

The day belongs to Andy Murray. Well done.

Rafa sends his regards:

Congrats to @andy_murray, Roger and @delpotrojuan. Especially to Andy, I can imagine the joy of doing at home.

— Rafa Nadal (@RafaelNadal) August 5, 2012