Andy Murray, tennis's world No 1

Andy Murray- a man with a mission and a man with a purpose.

It may have taken the best part of 75 years now but Andy Murray has done it for British tennis. By several country miles Murray is undoubtedly the greatest tennis player Britain has ever produced. In fact he's not only the greatest, he's almost the most down to earth, grounded and rooted tennis player Britain has ever given us. He is an outstanding sportsman, a superb exponent of his craft and surely one of the most single minded tennis players in the world.

But now Murray has reached number 1, numero uno, the summit, the pinnacle, the Olympian heights, the very definition of expertise, competence and sheer brilliance. He is by far the most impressive, pre- eminent, the hungriest, the most determined, the most dogged, the most capable and the most assured of all champions.

The news that Andy Murray is No.1 in the world rankings is hardly a surprise and perhaps entirely expected. In Britain we tend to assume that our sporting champions have to be warmly embraced because maybe they're not good enough. At times it almost seems as if England's World Cup victory in 1966 may come to be regarded as our only contribution to world and cultural history. If you search through any encyclopaedia you may find that tennis was never Britain's strongest point. You could say we were useless and incompetent but then again that sounds like an insult. The blunt truth is of course that we were just kidding ourselves that we could play tennis to any standard.

We know the facts and figures. Britain's last major and recognisable tennis stars were Bunny Austin and Fred Perry. Both Austin and Perry are now largely forgotten and relegated to some historical footnote. They belonged to an age of dapper gentlemen and elegant ladies, an age of honour and good posture, of the Charleston and Flappers. Austin and Perry played in long trousers, with impeccably combed hair and perfectly soft tennis hands. They had a fine bodily strength, a wonderful muscularity, a marvellous sense of style, faultless manners and charming courtliness. They had an air and presence and the most upright carriage. They also had guts, grit, daring and were bloody minded perfectionists.

Fast forward to 2016 and Andy Murray. Oh Andy. How we've prayed, hoped, yearned for and then desperately went down on our hands and knees. Please Andy Murray. Can you please end the 70 year old drought and please you could become the first men's singles Wimbledon champion since the dark ages and prehistoric dinosaurs. Is there any chance that you could march onto the Centre Court and just blow away all the opposition? Could you please blast all opposition at Wimbledon into the ground and win every match by straight sets in roughly half an hour. Not much to expect surely.

And yet until the Olympic year of London 2012 it all looked as if it would never come true. We kept fluffing our lines, stumbling on the Wimbledon tramlines, lunging at cross court volleys and ending up in a crumpled heap by the net. It all began to look very amateurish, cackhanded and humiliating. It was all very unrehearsed and painfully laborious. Maybe it was just unprofessional, careless and contrived. But then Andy Murray came along, like an angel from heaven, a paragon of virtue. And not before time too.

First he won his first Wimbledon and this year he's done it for the second time. Now how did that happen? That certainly wasn't in any script. British sportsmen and women just don't win on a frequent basis and maybe we've been spoilt. But Murray is different. In fact he's unique and special, a man who wakes up in the morning, flings open his blinds, sprints onto a tennis court in any part of the world with one over- riding objective on his mind, one target on his mind and one task. He wants to play tennis of the highest quality, the highest standard and then fire down ace after ace down the centre of the court with all the ferocious power of the finest tennis player in the world.

We are all familiar with the Murray journey by now. There were the seemingly impenetrable obstacles. They were in no particular order Rafal Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer. All possessed grace, finesse and polish.  They all studied the grammar and vocabulary of their sport. There were the delicate drop shots, the astonishing serves, the immaculately flighted lobs from all angles and the deceptively whipped forehands that were heavily loaded with power. But Murray took it all in his stride and picked off his rivals with all the leisurely ease of a butler serving drinks at a Victorian garden party.

Now Murray is at the peak of his profession, standing at the top of the tennis mountain with the flag proudly standing and a man with a notable page in the history books.  Murray holds one of the most of distinguished positions in tennis history. He now wins the big tournaments at Wimbledon, the US Open,  and all four points of the world compass. He trains vigorously and obsessively, he works at his game with meticulous attention to detail and he attacks his matches as if his life depended on it

And so it it is the No 1 crown sits snugly on Andy Murray's shoulders. No longer are Britain the meek, submissive and almost apologetic runners up in world sport. No longer are we those pitiful and remorseful characters who just accepted defeat. Britain are fighters, battle hardened warriors and all conquering characters who want to win and win because they think they deserve it.

Andy Murray perfectly embodies that will to win, that insatiable appetite, that fabulous winning mentality. Oh Andy Murray how the nation has pleaded for you to walk out of the shadows and turn our sporting fortunes on its head. How we've waited patiently and longingly and then thought that at the beginning of July we might have a hero to celebrate. Andy Murray has reached No.1 in the world's tennis rankings. The lad from Dunblane has lifted British tennis to the most elevated plane. It's time for British tennis to feel very good about itself, to indulge in self congratulation and pour itself a well deserved glass of wine. Cheers Andy.