Magic Murray claims maiden title:: BBC SPORT | Tennis

Magic Murray claims maiden title:: BBC SPORT | Tennis ~~~

With all the press that Andy Murray's gotten since last year's Wimbledon, I've steered clear of posting stories about him, though I'll always have a soft spot, since he was the subject of my first article for a national publication. And winning an ATP title by beating Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt in the semis and finals, which Murray just did this weekend, is downright astounding.

Peter Bodo published an interesting post about Martina Hingis that uses the phrase tennis DNA, and although Joel Drucker, one of the very best tennis writers around, didn't much like the concept when I asked him about during the Davis Cup, I find it useful. When Murray was a junior, I heard many people express doubts about his chance to have a solid pro career because he didn't have a "weapon." I confess that they had me looking at his game with those blinders on, and last year at this time, when he was losing early in South American futures events, there was no indication that he would be what the British public so desperately wanted--a new tennis hero.

But somehow Murray has managed to continue to build his game, learn from losses and ignore the unabating glare of the British media. How has he done it? How has he gone from losing in the French Junior Open last June, to winning an ATP event this February? I don't know, but I suspect it's tennis DNA.