The kid from Dunblane has done it . . . emulating Fred Perry to win men’s singles.
Sporting immortality does not come easily and Andy Murray has taken his place among the greats not just by becoming the first British winner of Wimbledon for 77 years – but by beating the undisputed best player in the world in swashbuckling style.
The final two games of Murray’s epic straights sets win against Novak Djokovic was tennis from a different planet. The world’s No.1 pushed the super-talented Scot to the absolute heights of his game by showing us how a true champion fights to the bitter end and is never beaten until that final point.
Like a man possessed in his sheer determination to achieve his holy grail, Murray played like a real-life superman to conquer one of the greatest players in the history of the game. It really was that good.
It was pure theatre from the start to the finish of this riveting final chapter of a great British obsession that we thought would never end.
The final victory margin of 6-4, 7-5, 6-4 does not even come close to telling the spell-binding story of a match of unbelievable quality. This was a five-set epic in three sets of pure drama. At times it felt like we were watching a classic Hollywood feature film and this time this was the script with a fairytale ending. The difference is that the dream is reality because it did happen and this was truly one of the greatest achievements in the history of British sport.
What made it even more poignant was the way this romantic thriller unfolded in front of a worldwide audience captivated 12 months earlier when magnificent Murray broke down in tears after falling at the last hurdle against another legend of the game. Roger Federer.
This time the TV cameras captured this stunning sequel in all its glory. One of the defining images as a triumphant Murray staggered around centre court like a dazed boxer who had just slayed a giant was his loyal girlfriend Kim mouthing the words “Oh My God”.
Murray eventually climbed into the box where his supporting cast had cheered him on enduring every twist and turn as if connected by an emotional blanket and it was significant that the first person he hugged was his coach Ivan Lendl, the man who has transformed him from a fantastic tennis player to a great champion.
There was even a touch of comedy as Murray was so clearly disorientated by the magnitude of his win that he forgot his proud mum Judy and had to be called back for an extra special hug from the formidable woman who has guided him throughout his career.
The sense of shock was again apparent an hour or so later when our hero was clearly still pimching himself to make sure he was not dreaming, tweeting: “Can’t believe what just happened!!!!!!”
Well believe it or not – and there are many doubters out there who thought this day would never come – but Andy Murray is the 2013 Wimbledon champion and it won’t be long before he becomes one of the richest sportsmen Britain has ever seen because this glorious triumph takes the kid from Dumblane to a whole new level.
