Andy Murray is behind the extraordinary trinity of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic but better than many other former No1s and is arguably the best athlete Britain has produced in the past decade
Three years ago in New York, where Andy Murray was defending the first of his three grand slam titles, the Association of Tennis Professionals organised a gala dinner for the 25 players who had topped their rankings since 1973. Murray was not among them.
Now, after reaching the final of the Paris Masters thanks to the withdrawal through injury of Milos Raonic here on Saturday that secured him the 235 points he needed to pass Novak Djokovic as world No1, he is moving in their exalted company. He has arrived later than anyone since John Newcombe, who was 30 when the ATP computer acknowledged him as the best player in the world in 1974. His is a triumph for perseverance and longevity.
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