Great Britain have won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1936, emulating their golden era when the likes of the great Fred Perry ruled the Tennis world. Andy Murray stood up to be counted when his nation needed him most amid the intimidating Belgian atmosphere, defeating both David Goffin and Ruben Bemelmans in the singles. He also paired up with his brother Jamie to win the doubles in Ghent, as the Brits avenged their loss in the final to the USA in 1978 and may have inspired a future generation of tennis stars to come.
Dunblane survivor
Andy, now 28-years-old (and his brother) survived the horrific events of the 1996 Dunblane school massacre and has persevered despite the fickle nature of the British public regarding his nationality over the years.
But he now seems to have won them over (in the main) through his honesty and determination to succeed.
Not many sporting youngsters would have been as committed in their outlook as Andy was when he moved to Spain in his teens, in order to further his promising career. Two Grand Slam victories later, including the fabled Wimbledon success in 2013 and numerous titles on the ATP tour, will forever cement his place in British tennis folklore.
Olympic spirit obvious
His patriotism was obvious as he joined in the British nation's celebrations by winning the gold medal in the singles competition at the Olympics of 2012, clearly inspired and emotionally charged in the moment as many around the nation were.
Now he has brought Team GB kicking and screaming into the 21st century by bringing the Davis Cup back to Britain after almost 80 years of waiting.
Targetted Davis Cup
Can the success propel British tennis forward and reinvigorate them as a global force in the immediate aftermath? Maybe not but that is not necessarily Andy's immediate concern.He had targetted Davis Cup success this year, even publicly suggesting that the highly lucrative end of season ATP World Tour Finals were not top of his priorities.
He achieved his main aim as he often does when his mind is set on a specific target, just as he did last year alongside his coach Amelie Mauresmo when regaining his (high) world ranking. All of that despite a challenging backdrop ofincreased terrorist security alerts across Europe after the recent attacks on Paris.
Andy deserves credit for his focus and dedication to the cause.
Spotting the very real opportunity that presented itself in the competition this year. Credit should also be given to the team in general of course. Without James Ward's rousing singles battle in the first round against America to beat John Isner in five sets, GB would have probably exited and many would have said "I told you so".
Leon Smith engendered a dedication and belief in the squad and they matched his ambition wonderfully. Kyle Edmund may not have beaten Belgium’s number one Goffin in the final, but he showed enough spirit on his Davis Cup bow to suggest that we may well hear more from him in the future. Britain could certainly do with increased firepower, especially on the singles front.
Joins an elite club
The involvementof their top star proved to be the catalyst towards a fantastic final outcome. Andy joins the likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka, Rafael Nadal and Tomas Berdych among the elite of today's players in recent seasons, who have all now enjoyed Davis Cup glory with their countries. That distinguished line-up is perhaps indicative of the need for at least one tennis superstar in a nation’s ranks if Davis Cup glory is to be more than a pipedream.
Yet who would deny the son of Dunblane his deserved moment? Maybe further honours will come his way. Team of the Year would be a fitting honour at the annual SPOTY awards but one suspects that Murray cares not a jot for that, his personal drive propels him onwards into the twilight of his career. For now he and his compatriots can bask in the limelight as Davis Cup winners!