Star comment: Andy Murray caps summer of smashing success
Some of the legacy of Olympics and Paralympics gold dust has settled on the shoulders of Andy Murray who has done the business for Britain by becoming the first British man to win a tennis Grand Slam since Fred Perry in 1936.
In doing so he has got a monkey off his back and off the back of British tennis in general, in which the leading players of the modern age have been a succession of nearly men who have briefly raised unrealistic hopes which have then been routinely dashed.
Hearts were in mouths as Murray lost the advantage of being two sets up and seemed on course to be yet another plucky loser.
He is, though, a player with the right stuff, and grit, determination, and ability took him through.
What a fantastic summer of sport it has been. Murray's success came the day after a million people turned out to salute our Olympic and Paralympic heroes and heroines.
Perhaps some of the atmosphere infused into his bones to give him an extra percentage boost in a match in which every per cent mattered.
With Britain on a winning streak, we look around eagerly to see what else is coming up that we can win.
It is a sort of glittering, glorious fallout from the London games. They did the job in inspiring this generation, and our sporting stars of tomorrow will no doubt prove to have been inspired by the golden summer of 2012.
Who knows, under the down-to-earth, no-nonsense coach Roy Hodgson, some of it might rub off on England's highly paid celebrity footballers and inspire them to achieve success on the global stage which has eluded them for the best part of 50 years.
