Andy Murray becomes first ever Brit to be crowned No 1 in the world after Milos Raonic withdraws from semi final
The sensational Scot overtakes Serbian ace Novak Djokovic in the tennis world rankings
THIS TIME history tapped Andy Murray gently on the shoulder.
At Wimbledon in 2013, Novak Djokovic’s backhand hit the tape, Centre Court erupted in joy and Britain’s first male singles champion for 77 years burst into tears.
In Ghent in 2015, Murray’s sublime lob arced over Belgium’s David Goffin, he sank to the floor in disbelief and the Davis Cup came home after an absence of 79 years.
But on Bonfire Night in Paris in 2016, it was not with a bang but a whimper that the Scot became the first Brit to be called the greatest tennis player on earth.
The whimper was from Milos Raonic, who pulled out of their Paris Masters semi- final with a thigh injury.
That put Murray into the final, guaranteeing him the ranking points needed to overtake Djokovic when the new ratings are published tomorrow.
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But make no mistake — this is an achievement that should echo down the ages. Murray, 29, said: “I never imagined I’d be No 1 in the world.
“When I was playing football or wrestling with my brother, we’d imagine being different wrestlers or footballers, but not so much with tennis.
“It’s something I never expected to do.
“When you’re behind the guys that I was behind, it’s kind of difficult to keep believing, keep working to try to get there.
“With the Slams, I’d been quite close a lot of times. But I had never really been close to being No 1 before.
“I’d never experienced this, I didn’t know what it was going to feel like and if I was ever going to get there.
“It feels very different to how any of the Slams felt.
“At Slams, it comes quick, in the space of two weeks. Whereas, with this, it takes such a long time to get there.
“And, especially at this stage of my career, it’s more satisfying in some ways.”
Murray has landed two Olympic titles, two Wimbledon crowns and a US Open — rising to the summit at the tail end of the greatest era in the history of men’s tennis.
A golden age in which Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have for 13 years kept the No 1 ranking between themselves and far away from every other player.
Murray, who will go for his eighth title of the year in today’s Paris final against John Isner, said: “That’s the most satisfying thing.
“It’s been such a difficult thing to do during my career because of how good the guys around me have been.
“They are three of the best players that have ever played the game.
“To even be there for one week, I have had to get to the latter stage of pretty much every tournament.”
Mum Judy Murray was proud of her son’s achievement.
She tweeted “you’ve come a long way baby” along with the number one and a heart.