God loves a trier and Andy Murray is certainly that. After much pain and some big losses over the past few years, he beat Novak Djokovic in five sets to be the first British male to win a grand slam since 1936.
Murray’s first grand slam title: the US Open, was not easily gained: but then Murray has never taken the easy route.
I am not Murray’s biggest fan: I have struggled with his apparent miserable and dismissive demeanour, but I am happy that he has had this win.
It was a perfect end to a magical summer of sport here in the UK. OK, so Murray did not win Wimbledon, but perhaps it was his loss there against tennis legend Roger Federer that spurred him on to victory at the Olympics and then in New York.
For losing and loss can have a massive impact on a person. You only had to look at each and every Paralympian to see this. Many of the Paralympians found their way into sport as part of a rehabilitation programme following an illness or injury and they turned any loss into a major positive and drove for excellence. It was humbling to witness the Paralympics and a joy to behold the smiles on the faces of the athletes. You could see, and feel, what it meant to them.
It was good to see Murray smile too: it’s been a long time coming. Smiles are infectious, as our wondrous summer of sport has proved. We need to keep that spirit alive.