At tea time last night, poison pens were poised to confirm what we already knew – when it came to the role of national sporting hero Andy Murray was never going to fit the bill. The Scot failed on all counts. His arrogance far outweighed his talent, he had a face of the milk-curdling variety and – most crucially of all – he had refused to take classes at the Tiger Tim Henman school of gracious defeat.

Shortly after 9.30pm, following one of the most remarkable fightbacks the All England Club has seen, Murray had not only secured a place in the Wimbledon quarter finals, but had achieved the unthinkable by winning over a public previously happy to watch him fail.

Words began to be eaten when Murray clinched the third set
tie break, mounting the photographers' pit to roar at the crowd, many of whom had been enjoying a nap in the evening sun – and three hours 57 minutes after stepping on to Centre Court the transformation was eventually complete.

It was an unexpected masterclass in how to win friends and influence people. Gordon Brown, who was yesterday quick to make his support of his fellow Scot known, has no doubt been left wondering whether a little aggressive air punching and the occasional well-timed flex of his muscles at Prime Minister's Questions could boost his own dire ratings.

In the day or so since the victory, Murray Mania, which took so long to ignite, has spread like wildfire. The growing fan base has inundated radio phone-ins with pledges of support, some have even been moved to apologise for any previous ill thoughts and those behind the Facebook group If You Want To Smack Andy Murray in the Face have been preparing themselves for a drop in membership.

Given the chance to celebrate a British sporting success comes around about as often as Halley's Comet, the nation can be forgiven a little excitability and as fans yesterday sat on the soon-to-be-renamed Henman Hill to watch a replay of the match the gushing continued.

"The thing about Henman was that you never really thought he would win –that was part of his appeal, but with Murray you think he might actually do it," said one. "With everyone behind him, he could be unstoppable," added another.

Gracious as ever, Henman himself came out of the commentary box to also pay tribute to the young pretender, praising his heart and guts and rightly pinpointing Murray's greatest weapon as not his forehand but his desire.

It was that determination etched on every grimace that got the nation on the edge of its seat and Murray – himself clearly surprised by his new-found support – finally recognised the importance of the crowd in a post-match interview.

"It's the best support I've ever had in a match in my life," he said, as some viewers spotted what they believed to be a smile cross his face. "They got behind me more than they ever have before. It's my job to make sure I give them something to shout about."

If ultimate victory were down to whose supporters shout the loudest, no one could stop Murray becoming the first Briton to win the Wimbledon singles title since Fred Perry in 1936. Sadly, there are obstacles in the way and this afternoon they will come in the shape of Rafael Nadal.

Despite the odds, some have already put their money where their mouth is, with bookmakers estimating up to £10m could be wagered on the match, and Murray continues to tell us what we all want to hear.

"Obviously he's favourite for the match," he told a press conference. "But I think I can win... I felt at the start of the week I had a chance of winning and I think I've been pretty consistent so far."

If Murray can do the seemingly impossible by beating Nadal, it will be a much needed boost for a dismal summer of British sport. England's cricketers not only lost the one day series against New Zealand, but faced accusations of poor sportsmanship, none of the home nations even made it to football's Euro 2008 and the ongoing row about Dwain Chambers continues to overshadow athletics.

At 21-years-old, Murray has already shown the grit and determination needed to make it to the top. Even if hearts are broken today, our love affair will surely continue.


LATEST AND GREATEST: THE FINEST SPORTING RECOVERIES OF ALL TIME


Dennis Taylor: 1985

Early on, it looked like the man with the upside-down glasses was heading for total humiliation. He lost the first seven frames of the World Snooker Championship final to Steve Davis at Sheffield's Crucible. However, when Davis's game unexpectedly began to unravel, the underdog seized his chance. The battle of wills continued into the final frame until 23 minutes past midnight when Taylor potted the black to win 18-17 and sank to his knees in disbelief.

Charlton Athletic: 1957

At 5-1 down against Huddersfield, the Valley men were ready for an early bath. However, the final half-an-hour of the Second Division match proved one of the most dramatic in football history. Johnny Summers scored a hat- trick and with just two minutes left Charlton had a 6-5 lead. Huddersfield equalised, but Summers again stepped up to the mark by setting up John Ryan, who scored the winner with the final kick of the game.

Red Rum: 1973

The horse which became the nation's favourite made his name in the 1973 Grand National. Red Rum started the race as joint favourite, but it seemed the optimism was misplaced when jockey Brian Fletcher found himself trailing by 25 lengths. Crisp looked certain to romp to victory, but after the final Canal Turn the comeback began and Red Rum crossed the finishing post three- quarters of a length ahead.

England Cricket Team: 1981

It looked set to be the usual sorry tale of a dismal England display against Australia. Arriving at Headingley, England were
1-0 down in the Ashes, Ian Botham had resigned the captaincy and the critics were on their backs. True to form, the England bowling attack put up little resistance, with Australia declaring at 401 and after a typical batting collapse, England were forced to follow on. Even Ian Botham's impressive second innings of 149 not out looked too little too late, but as Australia took to the crease to knock off the 124 runs needed to win, the unthinkable happened. Beefy took the first wicket, Bob Willis finished with figures of 8-43 and England won by 18 runs.

Manchester United: 1999

Bayern Munich had led for 85 minutes of the European Cup final, but Manchester United weren't about to let the silverware out of their grasp. As the final two minutes of injury time ticked away, Teddy Sherringham equalised and the fans breathed a sigh of relief and waited for extra time. It didn't come. With seconds to go, David Beckham's corner found Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who didn't need to be asked twice, smashing the ball into the back of the net and leaving the German side in tatters.

Liverpool FC: 2005

It hadn't exactly been an easy route through to the Champions League final and early on it looked like Liverpool had run out of steam. At half-time, Milan had a comfortable three-goal lead, but in just six minutes the game was turned on its head with Steven Gerard, Vladmir Smicer and Xabi Alonso finding the back of the net to bring the game level. Perhaps suffering a crisis of confidence, Milan made it through extra time, but finally lost on penalties.

Lasse Viren: 1972

Lasse Viren more than earned his place in the history books. In the Olympic final of the 10,000m, it seemed the Finnish policeman would be soon returning to his day job when he fell just before the halfway mark. Getting to his feet, Viren not only completed the race, but picked up the gold medal and set a new world record.