SOARING hope eventually gave way to the weight of dismay, sending Andy Murray fans on a roller-coaster of emotion in homes, clubs and pubs across the country.
In a neighbourhood tennis club on the southside of Glasgow, dozens of fans gathered to watch the nail-biting encounter.
Among the spectators at Giffnock Tennis Club was Euan McGinn who, as a performance officer with Tennis Scotland, coached Murray and brother Jamie as promising teenagers.
"He gave it all he could," said the Stirling University coach. "It was a massive effort to get to the final and he has made history. He has got to take an awful lot of positives from this and move on from it. Federer, in the last 45 minutes to an hour, just seemed to step it up."
On the wall of the club is a framed tennis shirt signed by Jamie Murray, which is a reminder of how Andy's brother was once a key member of the club's first team.
The club's president, Duncan Campbell, from Clarkson, believes the thriving youth section of the club is testament to the Murray brothers' influence.
"It's a massive sporting achievement to be in the final – for Scotland and Britain," said Mr Campbell, 53.
"You can hear the roar in [the club]. Andy did extremely well getting the first set under his belt in a Grand Slam but Roger is an amazing player. I'm sure a lot of tennis clubs today will be busy because of Andy."
Club member Cameron Paul, 42, attended Wimbledon's early stages this year with son Daniel, 12, and said Murray's display was good – but not good enough.
He said: "I'm disappointed at the result. It's hard to take in. He played really well but he just came up a bit short. The first serve wasn't good and his percentage was down compared to his previous matches."
The Giffnock club's head coach, Nick Firth, 29, echoed the thoughts of many fans after Federer lifted the trophy: there's always next time.
He said: "Each time Andy is in these Grand Slam finals, he needs to take it as a positive that even if he does lose the tournament, he can take that experience on to the next one.
"It's a massive boost to Scottish and British tennis. We're lucky to have such a role model. It really does encourage juniors into the game."
At the Western Health & Racquets Club in Hyndland in Glasgow, only two courts out of six were in use as around 20 members squeezed into the cafe that served up Pimm's by the jug and specially-baked Murray muffins.
Head coach Ian Campbell wanted to recreate some of the excitement of Centre Court where he had witnessed Murray's semi-final triumph against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Mr Campbell, 50, said he felt a change in mood at this year's Championships.
He said: "It's the first time I felt that the crowd were with him, whereas before I would say the crowd were a bit mixed.
"He doesn't quite fit in with what they see as a tennis player. They like nice, middle England people. Andy doesn't fit that mould. But, everybody likes a winner, and he's winning them over."
For Dr Susan Gibson-Smith, she has watched her three sons' interest in tennis blossom partly as a result of looking up to Murray.
Her children – Calum, 15, Euan, 12, and Matty, 10 – are all regulars on the courts in Hyndland, and she took her eldest son to Wimbledon last week to watch Federer in action.
Dr Gibson-Smith, 43, thought the influence of Murray's coach Ivan Lendl was clear, saying: "He's less emotional, he's more focused and he seems to see it more as something he can do – it's like a job he has to finish. He's got his eye on the goal."
German-born club regular Kerstin Bumke, who has lived in Glasgow for 14 years, said: "He's encouraged people to take it up and stick to it. A lot of the juniors talk about Murray and certainly the boys seem to copy him."
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