The world stands in awe of the boy from Dunblane
“I try to block out the pressure but it’s always going to be there and hopefully one day I can get to do what Tim and Greg have done.”
His first appearance in the men’s event at Wimbledon was in 2005, thumping George Bastl of Switzerland and 14th seed Radek Stepanek in the opening rounds at the All England Club, before his lack of stamina cost him dear as he surrendered a two-set lead to David Nalbandian.
By then, not just Dunblane and Stirling were following his exploits but the rest of the country had cottoned on to the fact that Great Britain had a potential Wimbledon men’s singles champion.
He was ranked 397 in the world when he made his pro debut in April 2005 but was into the top 100 by September when he stunned the tennis world in reaching the Thailand Open final as an 18-yearold, losing to Swiss legend Roger Federer.
Now known as “Andy”, he won his first ATP title, the SAP Open in San Jose in 2006. Two years later, he reached his first Grand Slam final, the 2008 US Open, going on to three subsequent Grand Slam final appearances before finally succeeding at the US Open in 2012.
This came weeks after winning gold at Wimbledon during the London Olympics.
Andy then ended years of British heartbreak on the same turf just a year later by becoming the first British male since Fred Perry in 1936 to win the Wimbledon title.
He’s also suffered heartbreak as a back operation focred him off court and down the rankings and he spent 2014 trying to climb back up.
In 2016, he lost in the finals of the Australian and French Opens but since then he’s been virtually unbeatable.
Only Marin Cilic (Cincinnati Masters), Kei Nishikori (US Open) and Juan Martin del Potro (Davis Cup) have had the better of Andy as he collected eight trophies for his ever-growing cabinet.
And his amazing 2016 peaked at the weekend when Novak Djokovic’s quarter-final loss to Marin Cilic and Milos Raonic’s withdrawal in the semis in the Paris Masters saw him rise to No 1 in the world.
His win over John Isner in the final was the icing on the Murray cake - a career high which we’ve been proud to follow. Andy Murray became the first British man to gain the No.1 spot in the world rankings at the weekend.
And the achievement has drawn widespread praise for the Dunblane boy who sealed a great few days by winning the Paris Masters.
“I don’t really know if it’s sunk in or not,” said Andy. “It feels different, certainly, to when I had won a Grand Slam or anything like that or the Olympics.
“It feels quite different. Maybe just because of the way it happened, really.
“When you play a final, you win or you lose. Whereas with the No.1 ranking, it’s not really like that.
“I could still potentially have had a chance to do it next week, so it feels kind of different.”
Mum Judy tweeted a touching snap of herself with son Andy as a boy, along with a jubilant caption accompanied by a love heart emoji and a number one which said:“You’ve come a long way baby.”
Brother Jamie also took to twitter to congratulate the tennis star, saying:“Official Number 1 @andy_murray – incredible 12 months but even greater the level of hard work/commitment/ dedication/sacrifice for 20yrs. #1.”
Stirling Council Provost Mike Robbins, who presented Andy with the Freedom of the City last year, paid tribute to the local hero. He said:“A huge congratulations to Andy Murray on his No.1 world ranking.The whole of Dunblane and Stirling are proud of their most famous son.” Stirling MP Steven Paterson also noted the Dunblane tennis star’s remarkable year. He said:“It is great news that Andy Murray is now the official world No.1 tennis player as we come to the final months of what has been a phenomenal year. From claiming his second consecutive Wimbledon title to winning Olympic gold in Rio, his superb sportsmanship has inspired many and I know that his home town of Dunblane continues to gleam with pride over their local boy’s sporting legacy.” Andy’s twitter feed was full of messages, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon among the first. She wrote: “He’s done it!! Andy Murray is officially the best tennis player in the world. What an incredible achievement. Congratulations.” Former women’s world No.1 Billie Jean King tweeted:“What a wonderful year for Andy Murray. Congratulations on making history.” Andy returns to action at the the ATP Tour Finals which start in London on Sunday.