Federer–Murray rivalry major title extending the all-time record. Their match at the 2012 Wimbledon Championships was one of the most highly anticipated Wimbledon finals in the history of The Championships. Federer was in the midst of a twenty-nine month drought in Grand Slam titles, then the longest of his career since first winning Wimbledon in 2003. Meanwhile, Murray had become the first British man to reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin in 1938. Many in the United Kingdom were excited that Murray could become the first British man since Fred Perry in 1936 to win Wimbledon. Murray sent the British crowd
Andy Murray Ranked No. 312, Murray became the first Scot in the Open Era to reach the third round of the men's singles tournament at Wimbledon. In the third round, Murray lost to 2002 Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian due to cramping and fatigue, having led two sets to love. Following Wimbledon, Murray won Challenger events on the hard courts of Aptos and Binghamton, New York. He then experienced his first Masters event at Cincinnati, where he beat Taylor Dent, before losing in three sets to then-No. 4, Marat Safin. With a wild card entry, Murray played Andrei Pavel in the opening round