World War II. Spread of Communism. Vietnam War. Invention of Credit Cards. Invention of Colour TV. The Internet. Everest is defeated. Neil Armstrong sets foot on the moon. 2001: A Space Odyssey. Pac-Man. England win the World Cup. The Cold War. The end of a Millennium. All of these things have occurred since a British man last won a Grand Slam Trophy. Any Grand Slam Trophy. Yet thanks to Andy Murray, our years of longing have finally come to a triumphant end as he battled past a sporadic Novak Djokovic 7-6 7-5 2-6 3-6 6-2 to lift the US Open Trophy in front of a jubilant Arthur Ashe crowd. Eventually, the cheers and celebrations will simmer down and heads will bow as everyone involved gets back to work, actively seeking to continue the good form that Murray has showcased in the Summer months, stemming from his impressive form through to the Final of Wimbledon, his Gold Medal-winning exploits at London 2012 and now his debut Grand Slam as the cherry on top. Yet the question on everyones lips will now be:
Whats Next?
Take Juan Martin Del-Potro; hes a fine player and a house-hold name, but he isnt coming close to uprooting the established top-four. Yet, just three years ago, he triumphed in the exact spot that Andy Murray stood just a few days ago. Hes been there and done that, but since thenwell thats quite a dull story. For Murray, the key is consistency. This was always his downfall and his flip in form is down to consistency. Hes playing great tennis, hitting the ball deep, returning better than anyone, and hes winning games that a few years ago, he would never have had a chance in. Lendls obviously done a massive job on his mind mentally, crowds would always worry about him. As the years went on and that elusive Grand Slam victory continued slipping away, doubts were cast and naturally this would have got to Andy as well. Lendls arrival has eradicated those negative thoughts and set him on a new, positive path which has finally yielded stunning results. How long can he genuinely keep that up? I see no reason why he cant be World Number One within the next year. Federers the wrong side of 30 now and Nadals style of play has started to take its toll on his body and these problems have seen him sit out a good chunk of the year. Murray has the momentum over Djokovic now and even if he doesnt win the Championship at the end of the year, he has to ensure he continues to keep his game at a high level, constantly challenging Djokovic and Tsonga and whoever else will be up there. Click "next" below for part 2...