LONDON, July 1 (Reuters) - Nylon and the Biro had just been invented, the Mallard set a rail speed record of 126 miles per hour and the Second World War was still a dark cloud on the horizon the last time a British player graced the Wimbledon men’s singles final.
After Andy Murray’s four-set semi-final defeat by holder Rafa Nadal on Friday, the wait goes on.
If someone had stood on Centre Court in 1938 after Bunny Austin lost to American Don Budge and announced that virtually everyone watching would be dead and buried before another Briton were to grace the final they would have been quietly but firmly led away to the medical room for a lie down.
Two years earlier Fred Perry had won his third successive title having already completed a grand-slam clean sweep, while Austin also reached the final in 1932 as well as the French Open final in 1937.
Of course, the tournament bore not the slightest relation to the international affair it is nowadays—free tea was served to the players for the first time in 1938—but Britain, which had produced the winner on 35 occasions, hardly looked a nation on the brink of three quarters of a century in the men’s tennis wilderness.
Yet that is exactly how things panned out as the United States, Australia, then just about anyone bar the formerly dominant host nation planted their flag on the lush lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
There have been near-misses along the way, though, as Friday was the 11th semi-final defeat for a Briton in that period.
Mike Sangster ended a 23-year wait for a semi-finalist in 1961 but lost in straight sets to American Chuck McGinley, before Roger Taylor took up the mantle.
Taylor reached the last four in 1967 and 1970 and, presented with a dream opportunity in 1973 when most of the leading players boycotted the tournament, lost a five-set semi-final marathon to Czech Jan Kodes.
ANNUAL ASSAULT
It was another 15 years before “Henmania” signalled Tim Henman’s annual assault on the nation’s nerve strings.
In 1998 and 1999 he lost in four sets to a Pete Sampras at the peak of his powers but looked poised to take that final step in 2001 when, after beating Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, he went two sets to one up against Goran Ivanisevic after winning the third set 6-0.
However, rain forced the match into a third day and the Croatian stormed back in the morning to win in five.
Henman reached a fourth and last semi-final the following year, but was beaten by Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
Murray has cranked the level up further, reaching seven grand slam semi-finals, including three in a row at Wimbledon — and three finals.
He lost to Andy Roddick in 2009, Nadal in 2010 and completed his unwelcome hat-trick at the hands of the Spaniard again despite winning an impressive first set.
Speaking in 1999, a year before he died, the 92-year-old Austin had no explanation for the drought.
“They (the Lawn Tennis Association) have got enough money, so I don’t know what the reason is,” said Austin, the first leading player to compete in shorts.
Away from Wimbledon the story is just as bleak since Perry’s success in all four grand slams in the thirties.
No Briton has appeared in the French Open final since 1936, John Lloyd’s defeat by Vitas Gerulaitis in 1977 was the lone post-war Australian Open final appearance while the only Briton to make the U.S. Open final since the Second World War was adopted Canadian Greg Rusedski, who lost to Pat Rafter in 1997.
After Andy Murray’s four-set semi-final defeat by holder Rafa Nadal on Friday, the wait goes on.
If someone had stood on Centre Court in 1938 after Bunny Austin lost to American Don Budge and announced that virtually everyone watching would be dead and buried before another Briton were to grace the final they would have been quietly but firmly led away to the medical room for a lie down.
Two years earlier Fred Perry had won his third successive title having already completed a grand-slam clean sweep, while Austin also reached the final in 1932 as well as the French Open final in 1937.
Of course, the tournament bore not the slightest relation to the international affair it is nowadays—free tea was served to the players for the first time in 1938—but Britain, which had produced the winner on 35 occasions, hardly looked a nation on the brink of three quarters of a century in the men’s tennis wilderness.
Yet that is exactly how things panned out as the United States, Australia, then just about anyone bar the formerly dominant host nation planted their flag on the lush lawns of the All England Lawn Tennis Club.
There have been near-misses along the way, though, as Friday was the 11th semi-final defeat for a Briton in that period.
Mike Sangster ended a 23-year wait for a semi-finalist in 1961 but lost in straight sets to American Chuck McGinley, before Roger Taylor took up the mantle.
Taylor reached the last four in 1967 and 1970 and, presented with a dream opportunity in 1973 when most of the leading players boycotted the tournament, lost a five-set semi-final marathon to Czech Jan Kodes.
ANNUAL ASSAULT
It was another 15 years before “Henmania” signalled Tim Henman’s annual assault on the nation’s nerve strings.
In 1998 and 1999 he lost in four sets to a Pete Sampras at the peak of his powers but looked poised to take that final step in 2001 when, after beating Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, he went two sets to one up against Goran Ivanisevic after winning the third set 6-0.
However, rain forced the match into a third day and the Croatian stormed back in the morning to win in five.
Henman reached a fourth and last semi-final the following year, but was beaten by Australian Lleyton Hewitt.
Murray has cranked the level up further, reaching seven grand slam semi-finals, including three in a row at Wimbledon — and three finals.
He lost to Andy Roddick in 2009, Nadal in 2010 and completed his unwelcome hat-trick at the hands of the Spaniard again despite winning an impressive first set.
Speaking in 1999, a year before he died, the 92-year-old Austin had no explanation for the drought.
“They (the Lawn Tennis Association) have got enough money, so I don’t know what the reason is,” said Austin, the first leading player to compete in shorts.
Away from Wimbledon the story is just as bleak since Perry’s success in all four grand slams in the thirties.
No Briton has appeared in the French Open final since 1936, John Lloyd’s defeat by Vitas Gerulaitis in 1977 was the lone post-war Australian Open final appearance while the only Briton to make the U.S. Open final since the Second World War was adopted Canadian Greg Rusedski, who lost to Pat Rafter in 1997.
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