Roger Federer has matched a tennis record by capturing his seventh Wimbledon title. The 30-year-old Federer dispatched Andy Murray in four sets on Sunday to record his 17th Grand Slam title and move him into a tie with Pete Sampras for the most Wimbledon titles. (Nineteenth-century tennis star William Renshaw also held seven Wimbledon scalps, but he did so in an era in which the champion earned an automatic berth in the following year’s final.) Murray fell to 0-4 in major tennis finals, dashing British hopes for the first homegrown men’s champ in over three-quarters of a century. Murray may take solace in the knowledge that his coach, former tennis great Ivan Lendl, also lost his first four finals before rallying to win eight Grand Slam championships.
Federer’s victory is also a big win for UK charity Oxfam, which stands to gain £101,840 courtesy of a deceased William Hill punter. Back in 2003, former Oxford resident Nick Newlife placed a £1,520 wager with Hills that Federer would win his seventh Wimbledon title before 2020. Newlife died in 2009 at the age of 59, but left instructions in his will designating Oxfam as the beneficiary of any pending wagers. (Oxfam says 12% of its income is derived from legacies.) Oxfam had already collected £16,750 the year Newlife died from another Federer wager (that the Swiss tennis ace would win 14 Grand Slam titles). Hills spokesman Graham Sharpe called Oxfam’s payday from beyond the grave “one of the most remarkable bets we have ever accepted.” Here’s hoping Newlife is hoisting a heavenly pint in Federer’s honor, just as we should all hoist a pint in honor of Newlife’s foresight and generosity.
