Andy Murray, not bad for a Scot is he?

Andy Murray defeated Roger Federer, arguably the greatest player to ever pick up a raquet in the Tennis Masters in Shanghai today, yet if you listen to some the jury is still out on the player and the man.

Murray has had his most successful season to date, reaching his first Grand Slam final at the US Open in New York and winning back to back Masters Series, yet he still struggles to receive the popular, mainstream acclaim of say somebody like Tim Henman, who was never the player that Murray already is.

There are two main reasons for this I believe. A.....Andy Murray is Scottish and proud of it. Murray is a tennis player first and foremost, he's not the type to obsess about his media image or whore himself to satisy his sponsors.He is clearly uncomfortable with the pyrotechnic laden, compere driven circus that the Davis Cup has descended into, which is refreshing in an age where sports stars cash in on their success so readily. Although Murray is winning over the mainstream tabloid press, for far too long the London-centric sporting tabloid press perpetuated the idea of "he's British when he wins, Scottish when he loses".

The second reason is that Murray is a WINNER. He might be surly, temperamental but above all he is a young man with an unwavering focus on where he wants to be, and where he's looking increasingly like ending up, world no.1. For far too long, the British/Scottish/English media (delete as applicable according to political orientation) have celebrated the model of the gallant sporting loser. England were brave to take and miss penalties, Tiger Tim would win Wimbledon one day etc. Andy Murray goes against this grain, and even the grain of being a tennis player. He's a kid who witnessed the Dunblane school massacre and who moved to Barcelona at 15 to develop his game such was his desire. Can't quite imagine "Tiger" Tim leaving Mummy and Daddy in leafy Surrey to do that can you?

The tide is turning and people are strating to warm to Murray and not before time. Indeed its been said that the turning point was Murray coming back from 2 sets down this summer against Richard Gasquet and winning through to his first quarter final in a match that ended at 9.30pm on summer evening in July. The first two sets were comfortably the worst Murray has played at Wimbledon, before he pulled it back round.

Isn't it ironic that the British public only started truly supporting a winner after he had done an impression of the gallant loser that they have been used to over the previous decade. Do you think we are too forgiving of the gallant loser? Look at the England's Ashes winning cricketers, years of gallant losing punctuated by the euphoria of the summer of 2005, instantly shot down with a series defeat in Pakistan. What can Lewis Hamilton expect if he doesn't win the F1 championship again next year? What is it about us and our sporting media that is infinitely more comfortable with brave failure as opposed to earned success?

B.....