SIR ALEX FERGUSON was on a boat in Oban harbour.

Shirley Erskine, the victor's gran, watched it at home with her husband and their retriever because she had a broken leg. Sir Chris Hoy was lucky enough to be there, in the crowd at Centre Court.

The moment when Andy Murray won Wimbledon, becoming the first British man in 77 years to clinch the title, is one no Scottish sports fan will ever forget. What they were doing, whom they were with, how they cried - whom they kissed - are memories that will be replayed over and over again for years to come. Thanks to TV, the experience is one fans feel they shared in every nailbiting detail.

As Sir Alex says, Murray's great win is all the more inspiring because Scotland does not have "a conveyor belt of great tennis players". He believes the achievement may be unparalleled in Scottish sport. Tennis is, after all, a duel between two individuals, not just of skill but of mental strength.

For Scots, Murray will always be a hero, an unassuming icon, but that will not stop that whispered question from getting ever louder: can he successfully defend his title at SW19 next year?