08/07/2013 Newsnight Scotland

I don't see how it can save money when people are just going to be

On Newsnight Scotland tonight, we will take this once in a lifetime

opportunity, so far, to talk about tennis. Andy Murray's sensational

Wimbledon victory is simply worth celebrating, but it raises lots of

interesting questions too. Good evening.

In 1896 Edinburgh born Harold Mahoney won the Wimbledon men's

singles. 42 years later Fred Perry from Stockport did the job, then

there was nothing much for Scottish or English men's tennis until

yesterday. Andy Murray's win has entirely stolen Britain and

Scotland's news headlines for the past 26 hours, and shortly we will

discuss what the win means for Murray, for his sport, and for his

nations. First, Andrew Black has It was the victory he would spend

much of his life striving for. His result at Wimbledon was a long time

in the making. As a 14 year rolled he drained of competing in one of

the most prestigious tennis tournaments. Hopefully I will be

playing Wimbledon in four years, maybe junior Wimbledon in two years,

but that is perhaps a bit ambitious. He made 2012 year to remember,

Olympic gold in London and victory at the US open. But there was

heartache as well, he lost out to Roger Federer at last year's

Wimbledon. Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at

Wimbledon and how tough it is, but it is not the people watching, they

make it so much easier to play it. This support has been incredible,

so... Thank you. He expressed a similar sentiment when talking about

his win at Wimbledon. Within 45 minutes of the court I was spent.

was so tired. Subconsciously, everything that goes on with

Wimbledon, and almost the seven or eight years past of build-up just

took it is tall after the match yesterday. -- took its toll. But it

wasn't just a personal triumph, his mother said the ups and downs were

worth it. Applebee 's not going to forget about me, I was thinking,

that I was a weird that he was on a flimsy part of the roof and I was

three rows back which was not an easy thing for him to do. I have

been through it over many years now, and I knew how much it meant to Andy

last year to be in the final and to not quite make it and how much he

wanted to win this one. And then it has finally happened for him. It was

a huge moment. The fans have also been on board for this journey. And

of course, the politicians as well like to get involved. The Prime

Minister even suggested he should get a knighthood. Well, it was a

completely fantastic day for Andy Murray, for British tennis, for

Britain. I think he lifted the spirits for the whole country, we

geared to dream yesterday and he proved that it was good to dear to

dream. I cannot think of anyone who deserves a knighthood more.

could never accuse Alex Salmond of giving up an opportunity to promote

Scotland. It was exhausting. I was watching and I am emotionally spent.

He is a great tennis player and a great Wimbledon champion. Today Andy

Murray took part in the standard photo call with tennis enthusiasts,

it raised the question of where a sport's future stars might come

from. He said he did not have knowledge of where that would be but

he was more relaxed about his own career. I just know that I will

never top that, I don't think. Nothing I do now will have the same

pressure on the same expectation. It would have that I don't know...

I'm joined now to discuss this historic event by Rob Robertson who

wrote a biography of Andy Murray, by Dani Garavelli the newspaper

columnist and Murray-watcher, and from Edinburgh by Alex Massie who

has already been blogging on the subject for the Spectator. Good

evening. Thank you for joining me. Percival to you, Rob, let us put the

achievement in context, where does this lie in terms of Scottish

sporting success, the best when ever? By a male. No offence to all

the others, it is way above anything that those people have achieved. --

mile. Everything we can top that in Scottish sporting history. And what

about in British sporting history? It is being as well, I would put it

in the top two or three as well, but from his point of view, he would be

looking at the following promise, he will be looking at what he has

achieved. He will be relieved he has actually done it. He was on his back

and he was struggling, once he has done this everything is going to

come fine. He can go on and when a couple more Grand Slam 's. You have

been following his career, where does this particular when light?

is just an enormous achievement. It is also clear that it captured the

public adulation in a way that it has never in my lifetime, across the

social spectrum and across Scotland. There were more people watching at

behind him than fraud any English sportsman I can remember. A huge

number of people watched it across the UK on television. It is a big UK

event as well isn't it? It is, when you have had a 77 year wait for a

man to win at Wimbledon it is the sort of thing that each year a

British man feels to content and the pressure gets bigger.

expectation and anticipation gets bigger. It is one of the things

about Andy Murray and his success, the other top players have a keen

awareness and appreciation of the particular difficulties of being a

British contender at Wimbledon, and that is the thing that they

recognise and the knowledge makes Andy Murray's achievement all the

more special. They think in terms of Scottish sporting success, as an

individual achievement, they could possibly ranks at the top, the only

thing that really compares as Jimmy Clark's record. But Andy Murray mate

have the top spot in terms of top sporting success. -- might.

Commentators said that it marched in time with the World Cup when of

1966, which perhaps doesn't have much relevance for Scottish people.

The comparisons between team sports and individual sports are difficult.

The 1966 game is one of the great achievements, and improbable

achievement, a team of Scottish people all born within a mile of

Glasgow. That is impossible to replicate. Andy Murray's triumphs is

almost as improbable. But sometimes we get a little bit too down on

ourselves. Yet it is astonishing that a Scottish man has won at

Wimbledon, but other countries have also found champions from improbable

places. Sweden had no great record and neither had Switzerland. And

then they had Roger Federer. Before Novak Djokovic emerged there was no

Serbian man winning a Grand Slam in the men's. Yes it is remarkable. Yes

it is something that deserves salutations. But it is not perhaps

quite as unique as we want it to feel in the 24 over as after the

magnificent triumph. A remarkable Scottish triumph. You are writing in

the Scotland on Sunday yesterday about watching him grow up. You

collect you know him, you have seen him rise up this level. Wrote about

these unique Scottish characteristics that you have

spotted in Andy Murray. Do you think those characteristics are ones that

as Scottish men have are things that have made him reach those heights?

Certainly that work ethic that some of us would call Calvinist. One of

the remarkable things about him is that he pleases so much value on

that. In every single interview you hear him speak about not his talent

but working for every shot. He explained that it is tough and he

has worked. That is quite a Scottish Value and something I think has

definitely helped. But perhaps there are other characteristics such as

Billy in his career and psychological floral they call it of

failing that you cant when mate have held back, that is a Scottish treat.

In his character what kind of floors were the? Did he earn them out to

reach this pinnacle? Think the key thing for him was leaving Scotland.

It think it broadened his outlook and made him realise that he was

quite good at this game. He is playing against better players and

what you can forget is that he was winning in America as a young age

and made a transition from a junk top-class players to a full-blown

professional player. So I think the only problems he had war belief in

himself. -- was. The fact he left at Sun -- at such a young wave -- at

such a young age gave him the confidence. It is great for Scotland

but it is all going to Andy Murray and his team and his guts to go to

Barcelona at 15 and try to better himself. Alex Massie, anything in

the Scottish character that holds us back from achieving that kind of

is home direct swapping list, and they can swap within the social

housing list without losing tendency rights. It is all going

well is it? It is important we point out We can fall back on the

habit of making excuses and use the idea of Scotland as a small country.

We can use the fact that the climate is not always conducive to outdoor

sport as crutches to explain away sporting failure and it can seem

that we do not legitimately expect to do better. There's a certain love

the heroic failure but when you actual kept most of them, they are

not nearly as you like as the myths surrounding them. There are plenty

of small countries that have sporting success and other countries

with cooler climates that have sporting success. One thing that can

be drawn from Andy Murray's sporting success, if anything can be

extrapolated from an individual's determination to improve, it is that

if you want to succeed you must set the very highest standards and

expectations for yourself and not be satisfied with what your gamers at

any point. You must always be searching for improvement and we see

that with Andy Murray throughout his career as he has moved from coach to

court thinking he has run his way with one coach and now get another

one to take him to the next level. He has never made an excuse for

failure. He recognises that feel years are sometimes down to pure

luck or circumstance but fundamentally the solution to feel

your lives with them. If we have to learn anything it is that we must

set higher standards for ourselves when it comes to sporting

expectations whether individual or team sports. Perhaps from that

analysis, a real role model for other sports men in Scotland.

have to take it as a package. His mother is a role model for parents

as well. She drove home and took him to Barcelona. He has a role model

and people will be taking up tennis racket all over Scotland and

thinking, I can be Andy Murray. To be honest, most of them cannot be

because they do not have the drive and the family back-up and the

perfect system whereby he has come through the ranks. I would love to

think that another Scottish tennis player can, but I am not convinced

because the key for me is Judy Murray. There is a golden

generation, and Jamie Baker was helped by Judy Murray as well. I

would like to think so but I cannot see it. Anything in our national

characteristics that hold us back? Do you think they will not be able

to repeat that? If anything, the role model thing is the most

important and he has shown us that it is important. Building on another

Scottish successes like Chris Hoy and Katherine Grainger, it should be

becoming clear that it is possible and also that it is about keeping

going and not giving up too easily. He is a fantastic role model and the

really welcome one because if you look around at football, which is

maybe the sports most people look towards, there are not enough role

models. Everything about his character is something you could say

to your children, emulate him. Speaking of Scottish

characteristics, there was one particular soul tired very much in

evidence yesterday. -- Saltire. Was he writes to bring it out at that

point? This is a mini tempest in an espresso cup. We should have better

things to think about and talk about. I am all for waving Saltires

and have with them myself but for a first Minister when he knows cameras

are on hand to produce the fried like that was opportunistic.

thought it was a bit naff but I could see his point. Reminding us

that Andy Murray was Scottish. It was a bit naff. We will leave that

argument has said. He has been very diplomatic on the idea of Scottish

independence. He was asked on one programme today and he said it takes

a lot of thought and when pressed further he said, let's leave it at

that. Is that the ideal way for him to behave? Yes, there is no upside

for him to get involved in political controversies. Michael Jordan was

once asked, why do you not take a stand is on a political issue humour

he pointed out the other lot by sneakers too. Why should Andy Murray

be expected to have a coherent political position on either side of

the argument when it comes to the argument when it comes to these

constitutional future of Scotland. Why should he be expected to express

it? His views has alone and I don't anyone outside the self obsessed

political media bubble have any interest in hearing them. There was

a famous occasion when he was misquoted when he said he did not

want England to win the World Cup, because he was sitting next to Tim

Henman and I would call it banter. do not think his political views

will come into focus. If you did come down on one side or the other,

my goodness! What an impact he would have! We were talking about Alex

Salmond but there are plenty of politicians involved. We saw Andy

Murray at Downing Street and all the party leaders were there. They do

like to be seen with success. quite reminiscent of Tony Blair

where he was getting them to spread glitter dust. If he can use it to

his advantage and for the sport, that is to his credit. He is shrewd

enough to shy away from being used as a pawn. I am all for this but can

we not give him the knighthood when he retires. Give it to him when he

is finished but just guarantee he will definitely get one. Politicians

love this feeling of confidence, does it play into economic

confidence? A quick look at the papers tomorrow

and Andy Murray dominates the front page of the Scotsman. The Guardian