Andy Murray's golden streak came to an end as he and mixed doubles partner Laura Robson had to settle for the silver in the final.
The pair made a flying start against Max Mirnyi and Victoria Azarenka from Belarus, but were eventually beaten 2-6, 6-3, 10-8.
It was the fourth time in a row that Murray and Robson played a deciding champions’ tie-break in the tournament and as the Scot said, their luck eventually ran out.
It was, nevertheless, a wonderful week for the Britons, who had only ever played mixed doubles together in the Hopman Cup exhibition event. Their performances vindicated the selection of 18-year-old Robson, who repeatedly rose to the occasion, while Murray’s form belied the fact that he had not played a competitive mixed doubles match for more than six years.
In Mirnyi and Azarenka, the Britons were meeting their toughest opponents of the tournament. Mirnyi is the world No 1 in doubles and has vast experience, while Azarenka is the world No 1 in singles.
The Britons, apparently still on a high after Murray’s victory over Roger Federer earlier in the afternoon, made a fine start, winning the first four games and taking the first set in just 30 minutes. Mirnyi in particular had made a slow start, but the 35-year-old, who has won 45 men’s doubles titles, found his form in the second set, which the Belarusians won after Robson was broken in the fourth game.
Murray and Robson were never ahead in the deciding tie-break. When Robson served at 7-9 they saved two match points, thanks to a Murray interception and a bold service winner by the 2008 junior Wimbledon champion, but on the next point an overhead by Azarenka to Robson’s feet gave the Belarusians victory.
“It was just annoying to lose,” Murray said afterwards. “We were so close and we played so well in the first set. We did well. It was a good tournament.”
Mirnyi and Azarenka are the first Olympic mixed doubles champions since Dick Williams, a Titanic survivor, and Hazel Wightman, who established the now defunct Wightman Cup women’s team event, won the title at the 1924 Paris Olympics.
This was the first occasion mixed doubles has been included in the Games since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988.
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Serena and Venus Williams claimed their third gold medal in women’s doubles, beating the Czechs Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka 6-4, 6-4. Serena won the singles gold on Saturday with victory over Maria Sharapova to become the only woman in history to win a singles and doubles career “Golden Slam” of titles in all four major tournaments and the Olympics.
