The first Brit in 77 years, first Scot in over 110, Andy Murray's win is historic and doesn't deserve to be the subject of political oneupmanship, no matter what side of that particular debate you reside.
Talk of knighthoods, a notion that doesn't sit too well with Murray thankfully, however seems premature. I'm not necessarily against this form of recognition, but when it comes to sports stars, it seems odd to bestow an athlete with that high an accolade while their career has many years yet to run. It somehow slightly undermines any future success they may have, and it's generally recognised that at 26 Andy Murray has a good few career highlights yet to achieve.
That said, Murray's achievement in SW19 can't really be underestimated. In an era of tennis that has seen unprecedented domination by not one, not two but three of the best ever players over the last decade, Murray's resilience and determination to keep plugging away has been so admirable, anyone from any sporting background can appreciate his successes over the last year.
It has been a career year, a breakthrough for Murray following 2012's defeat in London, and the culmination of many years of hard work. And its exactly that which impresses me most. I'll confess, I'm an admirer of athletic prowess and any sportsman or woman that pushes themselves and dedicates their lives to be the best, and the last 4 or 5 years have seen Murray change a lot, especially physically. A move to Miami for winter training in each of those years has seen him get bigger, stronger and faster. Andy Murray is a real athlete.
Andy Murray's physicality saw him claim victory in the toughest of conditions
The BBC coverage revealed a statistic after the 3rd set in his quarter final 5 set win over Verdasco that Murray had covered over 2600m. That's over half a mile per set, covering the court in hundreds of short bursts. The requirement to sprint so often, change direction so quickly and to lunge and strike the ball over a match that can last 3, 4 or even 5 hours demands a huge and unique form of fitness. As all round athletic prowess goes, Murray must be close to being one of the fittest professional athletes in the UK.
Match all that physicality with the technical demands and speed of thought demanded by the likes of Novak Djokovic firing back balls as quickly as any player can, and Murray's achievements are all the more impressive. There was a lot of talk about the heat and the brutal conditions during yesterday's final - the referee's office were reporting court side temperatures nearing 50 degrees Celsius - and it reminded us all of Murray's comments after a win in the Miami Masters last year where he said it wasn't the physicality he struggled with in the heat, it's the decision making process. When you take that and see how he came back mid way through the second set from 4-1 down in those conditions, you can start to see how far he has come as the complete player.
Already many thoughts amongst the media fallout have turned to what he can achieve next. The answer, simply, is whatever he chooses. At 26, he has half a dozen good years at least left in him. With realistic shots at 3 of the 4 grand slam events (the demands of the French Open clay don't really suit his style of play), there is no reason to think he can't bag at least one grand slam title in each of those years.
7, 8, 9 grand slam titles? It seems hard to even imagine it, but given the events of the last year, who are we to doubt the possibility? Then we can start talking knighthoods.
