FIND an empty house.

There is the perfect argument for it. The question is: what is the single greatest sporting achievement by a Scotsman or woman? Now don a hard hat as the arguments rain down.

The debate springs anew after Andy Murray won the Wimbledon men's singles on Sunday, thus ending that 77-year drought that stretches back to Fred Perry. But how does the 26-year-old world No.2 and his achievement mark alongside other feats.

First, team sports are disqualified – it's my game and we'll play by my rules – because this is a rammy about individuals. So no footballers or rugby players need apply. This is about individual effort. Jimmy Johnstone was helped and enhanced by Bobby Murdoch, Jim Baxter required less stellar talents to complement him and even Denis Law needed someone to give him the ball. Andy Irvine, too, could not go on those mesmerising runs without some big lug exerting some pressure at the scrum or winning a lineout ball.

Secondly, all triumphs must be scrutinised mercilessly. The 100m gold medal won by Allan Wells at the Moscow Olympics stands high but there was a boycott by the Americans. Yes, this was not the fault of Wells. Yes, he had beaten or went on to beat all the contenders but, however unfairly, it was a weakened Olympic final.

Poor Wells also falls foul of another arbitrary rule. To be named the greatest sporting feat, the achievement has to go beyond what has occurred before and Wells was preceded by such as Eric Liddell, also a 100m sprinter, but who famously won 400m gold in Paris.

Similarly, an array of boxing champions take a hit because it is not unusual for Scotland to have a world champion. Ricky Burns, the lightweight champion, is thus following a path trod by such greats as Benny Lynch and Ken Buchanan.

On the female side, I dismiss Shirley Robertson reluctantly but on the basis of sailing being hardly a universal pursuit. There is also a tremendous resistance to relegating Liz McColgan from first place. She was a magnificent runner whose every pace was a statement of how hard distance running could be. Her record is exceptional, with a silver in the 10,000m in the Seoul Olympics in 1988, a World Championship gold in Tokyo three years later and two Commonwealth golds. But she was not alone in being a top Scottish distance runner. Blessedly, the country had a tradition of producing such obdurate yet brilliant performers.

There will be a clamour to name such as Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart or Dario Franchitti. This is more easily resisted. Again, Scotland has had a series of drivers whose achievements, certainly to the larger public, have been cumulative rather than centring on one specific day.

Chris Hoy is rudely knocked off his bike on several grounds. First, some of his gold has been accumulated as a team member and all of it has been gained in track cycling which is a severely restricted sport in terms of global reach.

This last criterion applies to Stephen Hendry, many observers' choice as the greatest snooker player ever. His sport, for all its once-high television ratings, is still searching for a global presence, so while his seven titles constitute an astonishing achievement they are not enough for top billing.

Golfers, too, are placed out of bounds because Scotland has had a bagful of top performers. But Sandy Lyle and Paul Lawrie score high, or should that be low in golf, for their individual performances in winning the Open at Sandwich in 1985 and Masters three years later and the Carnoustie Open in 1999 respectively. These were astonishing, memorable achievements against world-class fields in a global event.

David Wilkie, too, must be placed high on the list. His greatest triumph was astonishing in both execution and in the face of a high-class field. He won gold in the 200m breaststroke at the Montreal Olympics in 1976, in a world-record time and preventing an American sweep of the men's swimming gold medals. He also added a 100m silver.

And this brings us to Andy Murray and Wimbledon 2013. The argument is that Murray, born and raised in a relative wilderness for tennis, with no compatriots for role models and little infrastructure to support him, went on to win the greatest prize in tennis by beating one of the greatest players ever in straight sets, while carrying a burden so heavy it is a wonder his legs are not badly affected. It means his achievement stands as a memorable monument.

All that being said, then, my nominations for the top three are:

1. Murray at Wimbledon 2013

2. Wilkie at Montreal in 1976

3. Buchanan beating Ismael Laguna in Puerto Rico in 1970

And don't say I'm wrong. This is a game where nobody can be right, even when they make up the rules.