Andy Murray wins the US Open!

Andy Murray's summer began with heartbreak but ended with grand success. He finally shook off the best-player-to-never-have-won-a-Grand-Slam-title monicker to upend Novak Djokovic in the US Open final, thus winning his first-ever Grand Slam title.

Photo: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images (from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/)

The final, which was played on a Monday instead of Sunday for the fifth year in a row, was filled with tension and drama. Andy Murray took an early lead in the first two sets but Novak, fighter that he is, refused to budge and made things a lot tighter. Andy scraped through both times (7-6, 7-5) before Novak found his form. Doubts started to creep into Andy's game as well - he had been in this situation, a major final, 4 times before but he had never won - and when Novak won the next two sets, it seemed like Andy was destined for even more heartbreak. If this continued to go Djokovic's way, this one would be even worse than past losses as Murray was up 2 sets to love.

Somehow, though, Andy steeled himself and got the early advantage in the 5th and final set. When he finally won the last point of the match - his second championship point - it seemed that he wasn't even sure that he won. He looked like he stunned and in disbelief. In interviews later on, he kept saying that it hadn't sunk in yet, and he seemed to feel more relieved than happy. It has been a couple of days since this win so hopefully he is now fully enjoying the fruits of his labor.

What was interesting throughout the final was how many people in the crowds were cheering for Andy. I guess a lot of people like me wanted Andy to win at least one Grand Slam title, given that he was too good to end his career without one. (I mentioned before that the timing of his career isn't that great, given that his peak coincides with the peaks of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic.) Seeing Andy's tears at Wimbledon a couple of months back showed the world how much he values success at the majors and I think it was at that point that more and more people started rooting for him. Whether or not Andy wins another Slam doesn't, and shouldn't, really matter. His year, which includes a Wimbledon final, an Olympic Gold, and a US Open trophy, will surely go down as the most important year in Andy's career.

Congratulations, Andy! :)