Andy Murray has found winning over the British public more difficult than many of his battles on court. But, by clinching the Davis Cup for his country with victory over David Goffin, Murray has surely put the issue to bed.
Here, Press Association Sport looks at the moments that have made Murray a national treasure.
1. Murray's joke about supporting "anyone but England" ahead of the 2006 World Cup haunted him for years. By reaching his first grand slam final at the US Open in 2008, he showed what a special talent Britain had on their hands.
2. His second final came at the Australian Open in 2010 and again resulted in defeat by Roger Federer. In his on-court speech Murray showed his soft side, saying through tears: "I can cry like Roger, it's just a shame I can't play like him."
3. Many people still thought of Murray as the surly Scot with the potty mouth when he did what no British man had done for 74 years in 2012 and reached the Wimbledon singles final. But, after another loss to Federer, his dignified speech, with his voice cracking as he tried to hold back the tears, did much to change opinions.
4. Those who thought Murray did not care about Britain were made to eat their words through his joyous run to Olympic gold on Wimbledon's Centre Court. He has always loved being part of a team and regularly cites it as his favourite achievement.
5. After four losing appearances in finals, Murray finally ended Fred Perry's reign as the last British man to win a singles grand slam title by beating Novak Djokovic in five sets at the US Open, setting him firmly apart from all the nearly men who had gone before.
6. Winning the US Open was great, but winning Wimbledon was the holy grail for British tennis fans. A year after his loss to Federer, Murray emulated Perry once more with a hugely tense and emotional victory over Djokovic on Centre Court. Whatever happened now, he would forever be the man who won Wimbledon.
7. How to top winning Wimbledon in British eyes? How about winning the World Cup of tennis for Britain virtually single-handed? This was a record of the Perry days no one expected Murray to emulate but, with stunning performances against the United States, France, Australia and Belgium, he clinched the Davis Cup.
Source: PA
