Murray wins the US Open!

[robertlouis]

I didn't want to jinx him by saying anything earlier, but Andy Murray has given the UK its first male Grand Slam champion in 76 years, and, incidentally, the first ever for Scotland.

Gripping match, intense, tennis of amazingly high quality especially as it improved over the five sets, high drama all the way.

Wonderful. A great night to be Scottish, I am over the moon.

[Prospero]

Another sporting triumph for the bigger reality of Britain too Robert!

[robertlouis]

Another sporting triumph for the bigger reality of Britain too Robert!

Yeah yeah. And if he'd lost he'd be back to being that Scottish git again.

Being a British git isn't an improvement.....

But it was great, well worth staying up for, even if my nails are bitten away above the elbows!

[Prospero]

I've never thought of his Scottishness in seeing him as a git. Just a git (albeit a brilliant tennis player) - but on too many occasions a wee bit humouress and too dour. But if you Scots want to own those qualities?

Sorry I couldnae see it. I. bed 2. No Sky TV

Nice to see the UK's summer of sport bookended by a win at the Tour de France (an Englishman) and now this first grand slam win since 1936 (a Scot)..

[robertlouis]

Yep. Back tae auld claes and parritch.

And the fecking coalition. It was good while it lasted.

[Prospero]

Which coalition are ye referring to? England, Scotland and wales or those clowns in Westminster?

[robertlouis]

Which coalition are ye referring to? England, Scotland and wales or those clowns in Westminster?

Cammo the Condom Clown and that smug Gimp Osborne.

Thank you Steve Bell for some unforgettable images.

[Stavros]

Murray deserved to win, he has been playing outstanding tennis all year, the Olympic title was a major boost to his confidence, but maybe Lendl's determination to clean up the rough parts of Murray's game and be more positive mentally throughout a match is critical in importance. The pressure will now be on him to repeat it. Caps an amazing summer of sport for Britain, football being the obvious loser....for the time being.

[Prospero]

Cammo the Condom Clown and that smug Gimp Osborne.

Thank you Steve Bell for some unforgettable images.

I applaud the sentiment in bell's cartoon's But find them grotesque and unfunny. Schoolboy humour.

[rodinuk]

Hooray for Murray!

[SammiValentine]

Come on tim!

[Stavros]

Maybe someone already has, at least once. Who knows what happens in those locker rooms on the tour when the players are bored stiff?

[robertlouis]

Come on tim!

Wake up Missy. It would be great to get some proper Scottish chants at Andy's matches though "Caw ra' feet frae um, son, gaun yersel' big man."

[robertlouis]

Maybe someone already has, at least once. Who knows what happens in those locker rooms on the tour when the players are bored stiff?

And as I never hesitate to point out, Tim Henman was a gifted player whose game sadly became anachronistic as it became all about 40-stroke rallies from the back of the court. One of the best serve and volley players of the last 30 years. Certainly not a "failure".

But Andy has finally done it - what next?

[Stavros]

Strictly Come Dancing?

[robertlouis]

Strictly Come Dancing?

Cynic. It puts him in a good position for the end of year beano and the Australian in January. We could have our first ever British No 1 by then.

I also suspect that Nadal's injuries have caught up with him - he's always carried too much muscle mass to have a long career. And if Federer drops to No 3 or lower, he may decide to pack it in. We could therefore be on the verge of a Djokovic/Murray rivalry to match Federer/Nadal. It's a tasty prospect.

[Stavros]

Not sure about Nadal and whether or its too early to write him off, I think he has a couple of years yet to go; agree on Federer, because he likes winning, if he continues to fall at the last hurdle, or in semi-finals, I think he will retire -but note that both he and Serena Williams are winning titles in their 30s which would probably not have happened 10 or so years ago. I also wonder just how good Murray and Djokovic are, they seem to me to lack the imagination and flair of Federer who transformed the men's game after the arid years when Sampras was in control. Men's tennis with Federer, nadal, Djokovic and Murray has been at its peak, perhaps it will now decline, in quality anyway. A lot also depends on what the Olympic Effect will be on the provision of sporting facilities for the young across the UK -Murray, after all, learned most of his tennis in Spain not the UK. If Federer does retire, say, after Australia, it will be the end of an era, nothing will be as good again for a long time.

[broncofan]

Murray deserved to win, he has been playing outstanding tennis all year, the Olympic title was a major boost to his confidence, but maybe Lendl's determination to clean up the rough parts of Murray's game and be more positive mentally throughout a match is critical in importance. The pressure will now be on him to repeat it. Caps an amazing summer of sport for Britain, football being the obvious loser....for the time being.
I think it must be. Murray has always been too uneven in temperament. But he's also always had a very big heart. This is why he kept persevering even after all those disappointments in grand slam finals. He's got a big power game, he's willing to fight to win, but he often hasn't played his best tennis when he needed it. Maybe that had a lot to do with a lack of confidence and a tendency to be petulant and moody when the chips were down. I haven't followed him closely since Lendl's been in charge, but having watched Ivan extensively in his prime, I can only imagine he would have worked on Andy's psyche. Apparently to great effect. Well done!

[robertlouis]

I think it must be. Murray has always been too uneven in temperament. But he's also always had a very big heart. This is why he kept persevering even after all those disappointments in grand slam finals. He's got a big power game, he's willing to fight to win, but he often hasn't played his best tennis when he needed it. Maybe that had a lot to do with a lack of confidence and a tendency to be petulant and moody when the chips were down. I haven't followed him closely since Lendl's been in charge, but having watched Ivan extensively in his prime, I can only imagine he would have worked on Andy's psyche. Apparently to great effect. Well done!

I agree entirely. Murray has also smiled more in the last three days than in the previous three years. It's obvious that a huge weight has gone from his shoulders. Now he can get on with living his life and adding more Slams to the first.

[celticgrafix]

who cares and american didn't

[Stavros]

who cares and american didn't

America has produced some of the finest tennis players in history, I won't list them on the assumption they are household names. In the UK we have not had a grand slam winner since the 1930s, but it hasn't stopped Wimbledon being the top tournament and thus a multi-national as well as British audience has justifiably gone wild for players of quality wherever they come from. Sporting excellence transcends national identity.

[Prospero]

Sporting excellence transcends national identity.

I agree. But is in some ways shaped by the resources and opportunities available to young players. And to national attitudes to the sport. Hence how many great Indian or Pakistani tennis player are there on the world stage?

[Stavros]

There are a few Indians around, mostly more successful in doubles; but the question is, with all its resources, where are the new generation of Americans coming from? The Williams sisters do not appear to have inspired young Black americans even though they trained on public courts, and are both now in their 30s -Australia too used to produce great players on a regular basis. Desire must be part of it, as well as resources.

[reformedcharacter]

highlights from next year's wimbledon :) http://youtu.be/7UkA0ljx2Vs

[Jericho]

who cares and american didn't

What a churlish attitude. :shrug

[broncofan]

who cares and american didn't
I'm an American and though I haven't followed tennis as much in the past six or seven years I did care. I haven't always been an Andy Murray fan but I did sense the strain he was under. He persevered in spite of all that pressure. He also has a tremendous ground game, a big heart, and he employed the services of a tennis great to help him get over that hump.

Pete Sampras, not a bad player in his own right, ranks Ivan Lendl in his top five players of all time. Lendl does not have the best conversion rate in grand slam finals (8/19 I think?), nor did he win Wimbledon, but he had a great forehand, excellent technique on the backhand when he decided to come over it and not just chip it. He was also tough as nails and one of the fittest players of all-time. Now you take this tennis great and you pit him with a talented player who hasn't yet reached his potential and that player starts winning, it's exciting. But that's only the case if you like tennis.

[Stavros]

Sunday's final of the Australian Open will be between two friends, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray. Both seem to be in sparkling form so I wonder if Murray will be able to follow his US Open success with another? Just as I wonder how much longer Federer will keep playing if he doesn't win a grand slam.

Li Na for the women's title.

[Prospero]

Nice to see a Scot win his game on Burns night. I am sure he'll be scoffing some haggis and neaps tonight. And maybe downing a wee dram.

[robertlouis]

Nice to see a Scot win his game on Burns night. I am sure he'll be scoffing some haggis and neaps tonight. And maybe downing a wee dram.

Indeed. The final on Sunday should be utterly enthralling, whoever wins. This is a wonderful time for men's tennis, with arguably the finest quartet of rivals in the entire open era.

Let's just hope that those who can't forgive Murray for not having been born in Surrey can get over their prejudices and recognise him for the supreme athlete that he is.

That's not to decry the achievements of Sampras, , McEnroe, Borg, Becker, Edberg, Agassi et al, but the four men at the top of the world game right now offer a consistent mix of power and skill that the game has never seen before.

Shame we can't say the same for the women's game. I'd like to have seen the young American Sloane Stephens in the final, but her time will come.

[robertlouis]

Good competitive match. Murray didn't disappoint, but Djokovic deserved the victory.

Are Djokovic and Murray now the new big two in the game?

[sexyasianescorts]

Dont discount Nadal apart from the fact he looks great he seems to be back better than ever he may be a good bet for wimbeldon this year ??

Chloe x

[robertlouis]

Dont discount Nadal apart from the fact he looks great he seems to be back better than ever he may be a good bet for wimbeldon this year ??

Chloe x

I agree, Chloe. He's playing well, but I reckon he's on borrowed time. Those knees won't last much longer.

The French next month should give us a good picture for the rest of the season. It's Rafa's best surface and Murray's worst.