So, the Brits got their wish. Their man and clear crowd favorite moved on. But, to be completely honest it was 19th seed, Stanislaus Wawrinka, whose stock rose by leaps and bounds.

The 24- year old took on the world’s third ranked player on his home court and came ever so close to sending fifteen thousand courtside spectators as well as thousands watching on Henman Hill’s giant screen home to sulk.

The Brits are pretty anxious to win this one. For those Wimbledon neophytes, it has been 72 years since Fred Perry kept the trophy at home. This year, the Brits have reason for optimism. Murray is a good player. He has defeated the best player to ever pick up a racket four straight times.

The problem for Murray is not his ability. It is what is between his ears. He is unconvinced that he can win Grand Slam Championships and all the fuss and media focus seems to weigh upon the youngster. Andy Murray could use a lesson or two from the Williams sisters. Now there are two high profile competitors that set their eyes on a goal and go for it. Mastering the media is just one of those things great players learn to do. Murray needs some work on that, but he does get points for astute companion selection.

Wawrinka reached the 4th round at Wimbledon last year. He followed that up with a 4th round appearance in the U.S. Open. The guy has some game, but the resume lacks real quality Grand Slam wins.

Give the man his due. He showed. He was composed. He played aggressively. He stood in the Lion’s Den and performed well, very well. He shocked the pro-Murray crowd with a 34 minute thrashing (6-2) of the Scotsman in the first set. He did everything right. His aggressiveness stunned the crowd, stunned Murray and showed just how fragile Murray can be.

To his credit, Murray clawed his way back. He captured a big break in set two and served out the set for a 6-3, 45 minute turnabout. The crowd roared back into the match and the Centre Court knew their man was ready to claim the match for Queen and Country, or something like that.

Murray had the momentum and went for the juggler. He held off several key break points late in the set and made a break at 3-3 hold for the 6-3 win. When Wawrinka replays the match, he will bemoan the fact that at this point he had only converted 2 of 11 break point opportunities.

Stanislaus Wawrinka was apparently the only person who did not know the match was over. He played on and got better and better, feistier and feistier. It seems like Stanislaus was not buying into the Murray is infallible thing. Wawrinka battled through set four. He matched shot for shot with the three seed. When the pressure was on, Wawrinka out-served and out-strategized the Scotsman. Murray appeared shell-shocked looking to his mother and to his lady friend for help. At times, it seemed Murray was trying to bring the crowd into the match. At 5-5, Wawrinka got the break he needed and then held serve to force the fifth set.

If Andy Murray is to win Wimbledon, he had better keep his eye on the ball and his mind on the moment and off the women in his life.

At 10:39 at night, Murray quieted the fans on Henman’s Hill, gave his mother something to cheer about, earned an admiring smile from his lady friend and allowed the 15,000 Brits under the roof to celebrate his 6-3 final set win.

Stanislaus Wawrinka congratulated the winner. Tonight he will remember that on this day, in the first complete match played under the roof, he could very easily have pulled off the event’s biggest upset.

As it is, Murray moves on to put his legions through another raucous, nerve-wracking match against unseeded Juan Carlos Gerrero. I mean, really!

At the top of the bracket, two former Grand Slam Champions will slug it out when Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick go at it again. Roddick recently beat Hewitt 7-6, 7-6.

The other Swissman, Roger Federer will take on heavyweight serve specialist, Ivo Karlovic while Novak Djokovic tries to hold off Tommy Haas. Haas is playing well and will give Djokovic plenty of chase.

All the gentlemen’s quarterfinal matches will be played on Wednesday. Monday was a long, great day of tennis. It is fitting that Murray won. But, it does raise questions about his ability to put matches away. He did not appear a Grand Slam Champion on day one of week two.

As circumstances would have it, the 2009 tournament may be the Brits best chance to raise the trophy in many a year. The Empire’s hopes rest solely and squarely on their best player, the enigmatic third ranked Scotsman, Andy Murray. Fresh from his clean win at Queens, Murray appears at the top of his game. Once again, there is a wave of optimism in the English air. That may not be good news for the three seed, who has won more than $2 million this year and sports a spectacular 40-6 won-lost record.

Murray has developed the reputation of a player who cannot cut the mustard when in the limelight. And, for the next two weeks, or as long as he is in play, that is squarely where the 22-year old will be.

Alan Jones, Jo Durie’s former coach, summed up Murray’s dilemma; “Winning a Grand Slam is a challenge that most players never overcome. It also does not help that he is playing at home where, as Tim Henman can testify, the pressure and scrutiny is incredibly intense. But, what is for sure is that Andy has the talent to succeed, particularly on grass. It is obvious that he is a far better physical specimen now than he was three years ago and as a result, is able to complete the five sets that are often required to win matches at the highest level. He has top be one of the fastest 6 ft 3 inch players to have ever played the game. But, to be successful at Wimbledon, Andy must overcome the safety-first approach that he adopted in matches that he lost at the Australian and French Opens. He needs to be braver.”

Jones seems to have pegged Murray to a tee. The lanky Scotsman now features a blistering serve, devastating ground strokes and blazing foot speed. What is most improved in his game is that the Scot has learned to hit winners from unlikely, off-balanced positions that seem to occur regularly on Wimbledon’s grass.

However, based on his performance at Queen’s, Murray seems most comfortable on grass. With Nadal’s withdrawal, Murray’s top half of the draw appears a bit diminished. He opens against American Robert Kendrick, who failed to win a game in their last encounter.

If form holds, Murray would meet Marat Saffin, a semifinalist last year in the 4th round and e8 seed Gilles Simon in the quarters. A likely semifinal match would be against either Juan Martin del Porto or American Andy Roddick. Never has a Brit had a smoother path to the finals.

And, if he gets there, Murray has reason to play with confidence. He has won his last four encounters with Federer and holds a 6-2 record against the 14-time Grand Slam winner, who was the bookmakers’ choice prior to Nadal’s departure.

As the media will remind anyone who will listen, Federer knows how to compete and how to win Grand Slams. These two-week pilgrimages are his cause. As a five-time Wimbledon champion and a man determined to collect his record setting 15th Grand Slam, there can be no doubt that the Swiss star will not go away easily.

Murray has had a year most players would consider a career. British tennis fans do not see it that way. They crave the Wimbledon championship. Murray began the year with big plans. Following his appearance ion the finals at the U.S. Open, there was cause for optimism.

His 2009 Grand Slam events have not gone as planned. Seed third in Melbourne and Paris, Murray got the boot in the fourth round in Australia and in the quarters at Roland Garros. As Jones observed, Murray seems to believes that his talent alone can win matches. In Grand Slams, Murray has played too close to the vest. To win at Wimbledon not only must he be braver, he must be the countless media attention aside.

Day One begins on Monday, June 22nd. Many of the games big stars will be on court. Federer (Yen-Hsun Lu), Djokovic (Julien Benneteau), Soderling (Muller), Verdasco (Ward) will all be off early. On the Ladies’s side, Serena Williams and Elena Dementieva will also be on the grass. This one is looking special, don’t miss a thing!

There was little doubt that the world’s best tennis players would all show up for the annual Lawn Tennis Championship hosted by the prestigious All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. Not only will this year’s players compete for the largest purses in the event’s illustrious history, but they will be initiating a sparkling new Centre Court complete with a spectacular retractable roof.

The All England Croquet Club was founded in 1868. In 1875, Walter Clopton Wingfield’s game of lawn tennis, which was originally called Sphairistike, became an activity at the club. In the hopes of raising enough money to acquire a new roller, the club decided to host a Gentlemen’s Singles Lawn Tennis Championship.

200 spectators attended the tournament. Each fan paid one shilling to watch the finals. Spencer Gore, a prominent Harrovian rackets player, championed a field of 22 players to claim the inaugural tournament.

For the event, rules of the game previously administered by the Marylebone Cricket Club were altered by the All England Croquet Club. With the exception of details pertaining to the height of the net, the height of the posts and the distance from the service line to the net, the game remains essentially unchanged.

In honor of the first tournament, the club changed its name to the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. By 1882, croquet was scarcely played at the club and the title was shortened to the All England Lawn Tennis Club. In 1899, the membership decided to return to the traditional name and the club has been known as the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club ever since.

The lawns at the All England Club were known as the Grounds. As the popularity and demand of lawn tennis increased, additional courts were added. The new courts were arranged around the Grounds’ principal court, which became known as Centre Court.

In 1884, the Ladies’ Singles Lawn Tennis Championship was inaugurated. 13 players vied for the title. Maud Watson bested the field. Gentlemen’s Doubles was also added to the tournament. The trophy was donated by the Oxford University Lawn Tennis Club, who halted their tournament which had begun in 1879.

The first Gentlemen’s Doubles Championship was won by the popular British twins, Ernest and William Renshaw. The Renshaws ignited support for Lawn Tennis and for the All England Championships. Between 1881 and 1889, the Renshaw brothers reigned in 13 singles and doubles titles. In honor of the twins, the era was dubbed the “Renshaw Rush.”

The Renshaw Rush ended in 1889. Along with the era’s passing, the excitement for the All England Championship waned. It took another set of brothers to resurrect the tournament’s popularity. In 1897, Laurie and Reggie Doherty began a ten year rule. The All England Lawn Tennis Championship flourished once again.

The original Worple Road site was expanded many times. After World War I, the increasing demand required that the club move to its current Church Road location, where the 14,000 seat stadium was erected. King George V opened the new stadium in 1922.

The enlargement of the stadium and the continued expansion of the tournament’s field propelled the growth of tennis. Originally, the size of the stadium sparked much controversy. However, the immediate demand for tickets required the implementation of a ballot system to determine the successful ticket holders. This system has been in place since the opening of the Church Street Stadium.

The International Reign

By 1900, the championship entertained players from abroad. In 1905 a young American woman, May Sutton, became the first player from across the pond to win a singles championship. May triumphed again in 1907, the same year that Australian Norman Brookes became the tournament’s first international Gentlemen’s Singles Champion.

Much to the dismay of impassioned local fans, only two players from Great Britain have won the championship since Brookes’ 1907 win. Arthur Gore won the title in 1908 and 1909 and the esteemed Fred Perry triumphed from 1934 through 1937.

On the women’s side, Great Britain has had a bit more success. Since the move to Church Road, Kitty Mckane Godfree, Dorothy Round, Angela Mortimer, Ann Jones and Virginia Wade have claimed the Women’s Singles Championship. Jones won in three sets in 1969 and Wade prevailed in three grueling sets in 1977.

World War II

During World War II, the All England Club continued. The Grounds were used for drilling and other civil defense purposes. At one point, a small farmyard arose on club’s grounds. Troops in the area were permitted to use the courts despite the club’s lack of staff.

In 1940 five bombs struck Centre Court and 1200 seats were destroyed. In June of 1945, the courts came alive again as Allied servicemen competed on the grass. The number 1 court had withstood air assaults and remained playable.

In 1946, the All England Club decided to resume the Lawn Tennis Championships. Lt. Col. Duncan Macaulay was designated to organizing the rejeuvenation of the event. Yvon Petra won the Gentlemen’s trophy and Pauline Betz won the Women’s title in 1946 and Wimbledon was back.

The club’s facilities were not fully restored until 1949, but the tournament remained fully subscribed. With the expansion of air travel in 1950, more and more international players brought their games to Wimbledon. The game of tennis and the nature of Wimbledon were about to change.

Open Changes

As the status of amateur tennis became clouded and in order to uphold the game’s integrity, All England Club Chairman Herman David proposed that the Lawn Tennis Championship be open to members of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and to the members of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA). This proposal was made in 1959 and rejected in 1960. The club again unsuccessfully pursued this proposal in 1964.

Finally, the LTA agreed to accept players of all categories for the 1968 tournament. Rod Laver and Billy Jean King were the first individual champions of the Open Era.

A New Age

Attendance at the All England Club now exceeds 450,000. The two-week tournament begins six weeks before the first Monday in August. The club undertakes improvements every year.

In 1979, the Centre Court roof was raised one meter enabling increased seating for 1250 fans. In 1982, Aoragni Park (Cloud in the sky) was added to the Grounds. This addition expanded all the club’s facilities. In 1986, a new two-story pavilion was added to Aorangi.

In preparation for the 21st Century, a Long Term Plan was developed in 1993. The plan included three stages. Stage three is underway and this year Wimbledon will utilize its new retractable Centre Court roof.

As Ian Ritchie the Chief Executive of the All England Club has said; “We set out to make Wimbledon the world’s premier tennis event; the tournament the players most want to win, the tournament spectators most want to come to and the tournament everyone wants to watch.”

Congratulations to the All England Club for achieving their goals.