ITF

at London 2012, Murray finally felled Juan Martin del Potro 75 46 62 75 in an gruelling men's final that lasted four hours and two minutes to become the first player in history to win two singles gold medals. "The fact that it hasn't been done before obviously shows that it's very hard. I'm very proud to have been the first one to have done that," said Murray after fighting through what he later described as "one of the hardest matches that I've had to play for a big, big title". Del Potro had blasted world No. 1 Novak Djokovic off the court in straight sets in the opening round, and it was only Murray's sheer bloody- mindedness that prevented him from suffering a similar fate in a gripping gold medal match. Del Potro's forehand was seemingly more ferocious than it had been before all his wrist troubles, and it required every ounce of Murray's resolve to dismantle the gentle giant. That same steely trait served the world No. 2 well throughout his time in Rio. Twice he had to recover from a break down in the deciding set earlier in the week, eventually seeing off Fabio Fognini in the third round, and Steve Johnson in the quarterfinals. While Murray made history, del Potro delivered a week of performances equally worthy of a place atop the podium. Not since January 2014, when he won the title in Sydney, had Del Potro managed to string four straight wins together at tour level. At the Olympics, he managed five – seeing off two of the top three seeds in Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, whom he dispatched in three thrilling sets in the semifinals, 57 64 76(5), to guarantee himself silver and upgrade his bronze medal from London 2012. Images, left to right: Centre Court at the Barra Olympic Park Britain's Andy Murray became the first player to win singles gold twice Kei Nishikori handed bronze to Japan The men's final was an epic encounter Juan Martin del Potro's dream run ended with silver

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