Andy Murray vs. Milos Raonic: Score and Reaction from 2016 Wimbledon Men's Final

Three years after first winning Wimbledon, Andy Murray earned his second title at the All England Club and third Grand Slam triumph of his career by defeating Milos Raonic 6-4, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (2) on Sunday.

Murray's celebration showed just how meaningful the win was to him, via Wimbledon on Twitter:

"I have had great moments and tough losses here, which makes this win extra special," Murray said after the match, per Wimbledon.

He added, "I'm so happy to have my hands on the trophy again."

Despite the two tiebreakers, Murray's win was never in doubt, as he slowly broke Raonic down with his elite defense, tactical returning and unshakable confidence and resolve.

The Wall Street Journal summed up his performance:

Murray not only neutralized Raonic's strengths, but he also nearly matched them. The Canadian had just one more ace (8-7) than his counterpart, and Murray won 87 percent of his first-serve points to 67.1 percent for Raonic.

Murray also had only 12 unforced errors and allowed Raonic just two break opportunities. Raonic had 29 unforced errors and never broke Murray in the match.

Murray's ability to handle Raonic's serve was a huge factor in his victory:

Indeed, Murray even absorbed the fastest serve of the tournament:

After Raonic controlled most of his matches at Wimbledon with his serve and overall power—and relied on both in his comeback against Roger Federer in the semifinals—Murray's elite defense and return game proved too much for him to overcome.

"He deserves to be winning here for a second time," Raonic said after the match, per the ESPN broadcast. "Congratulations to Andy. This one's going to sting, so I'm going to make sure I'm doing everything I can to be back here for a second chance."

Murray got off to a strong start. After he and Raonic held serve for the match's first six games, Murray earned the first break of the game. From there, he held serve to win the first set.

The Briton put on a relaxed performance in the opening set, as tennis writer Ben Rothenberg noted:

Howard Bryant of ESPN The Magazine, meanwhile, felt Raonic needed to make one particular adjustment:

The second set continued in a similar vein, as both players held serve, forcing a tiebreaker. Murray dominated 7-3 to take an ironclad grasp on the match.

It was all about defense, as Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times noted:

"

Like Broncos in Super Bowl, Andy Murray underscores the theory that a great defense beats a great offense.

— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) July 10, 2016"

Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star concurred:

So good was Murray over the first two sets that he didn't allow Raonic a break point, though Murray only converted one of the seven breaks he forced. He also had just six unforced errors through the first two sets.

Despite Murray's brilliance, however, Raonic still had chances. His inability to capitalize on any of them forecast his demise, per Matt Jones of Bleacher Report:

Raonic earned his two break opportunities in the fifth game of the third set, after the pair held serve to open 2-2. Murray fended off both, however, and the set remained on serve until the match's second tiebreaker.

Murray dominated the tiebreaker once again, this time winning the first five points on his way to a 7-2 triumph and his second Wimbledon title.

He'll soon turn his attention to the only other Grand Slam he's ever won, the U.S. Open, where he'll be one of the two favorites alongside Novak Djokovic. If Murray plays like he did at Wimbledon, however, not even the dominant Djokovic seems likely to keep him from a fourth Grand Slam.

Raonic, meanwhile, was impressive at Wimbledon, even if Murray outclassed him. With Federer and Rafael Nadal apparently slipping behind the top players in the game and Djokovic and Murray seemingly head and shoulders above the field, Raonic has both the opportunity and potential to join tennis' elite.

On Sunday, however, Murray reminded Raonic how far he has to go.

Stats via Wimbledon.com. You can follow Timothy Rapp on Twitter.