I know we have a lot of readers in Great Britain, so let me just say...
...First Fred Perry beats Don Budge, and now this!
Heh.
But seriously: congratulations. Tremendous. What a fabulous match—easily one of the very best I've seen. I'm exhausted, and all I did was sit on the edge of my chair for five hours. That match had everything. Really terrific tennis.
Cheers! Now you lot* better turn in; tomorrow's a workday.
Mike
*Am I allowed to say "you lot"? I sometimes wish I were British.
Send this post to a friend
Please help support TOP by patronizing our sponsors B&H Photo and Amazon
Note: Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. More...
Original contents copyright 2012 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved.
Damn it - I didn't expect to get sports news from you. I was watching the match on Tivo, checking my emails, and there it was. I bet it was a good match, but I wouldn't know since all the suspense just went out of it for me. Please think twice before posting sports scores again on your blog.
Posted by: MichaelF | Monday, 10 September 2012 at 10:35 PM
Well, presumptuously speaking for all of us in the Commonwealth
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_of_Nations
we'd be pleased to have you as part of our gathering of peoples.
Besides, we already consider you "one of us", me cobber.
http://andc.anu.edu.au/australian-words/meanings-origins?field_alphabet_value=81
Posted by: Thingo | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 01:19 AM
"we'd be pleased to have you as part of our gathering of peoples. Besides, we already consider you 'one of us', me cobber"
Thank you, but based on your link, I'd never learn the language!!
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 01:24 AM
Alright, dad, but thanks for letting us stay up to watch the show. Our boy done good. Hoorah! (Yes, I am a Brit and I'm tickled pink to see Andy Murray win).
Posted by: Gingerburn | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 01:38 AM
He's a Great Scot, Mike. But then again they haven't yet seceded...
Posted by: Sarge | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 02:07 AM
Am particularly pleased for him especially after his loss at Wimbledon.
Murray's amazing victory nicely rounds off a memorable summer of British sport. However, it's best, all round, if we gloss over recent English performances on cricket fields and football/soccer pitches.
Posted by: Andrew Lamb | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 02:51 AM
He's Scottish, mike, and we scots are truly proud of him!
Posted by: Macjim | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 03:22 AM
You are allowed anytime - especially today - well done Andy!
Posted by: John London | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 03:38 AM
You can say "you lot" to us lot. Wait, I don't follow sport, so you are saying "you lot" to that lot. You'll be thinking now, : ( "that's a lot of help!"
: ]
Posted by: Roger Bradbury | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 04:16 AM
Of course you can old fruit!
Posted by: Marten | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 04:26 AM
He is Scottish ! Britain no longer exists.
Posted by: jocky scot | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 04:42 AM
"You lot" is OK, "turn in" is rather archaic and would be not be understood (or be interpreted in some fashion *I* wouldn't recognise) by those under 30 or so. This is a good summer to be a Brit, the Olympics went better than anyone outside of LOCOG expected and now the sulky Scots kid comes right.
Posted by: Ed | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 04:45 AM
Also congrats to Ivan Lendl. The transformation of Murray's game post-Lendl is amazing.
Posted by: SeanG | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 05:15 AM
(Set humour level to max)
A fantastic result for the 'Brit' but for a moment I was afraid the 'Scot' would lose again.
(Reset humour level to normal)
There is more than a small bit of national pride from all parts of the UK regarding Murray and this fantastic result comes a day after the closing of the Paralympics itself already regarded as the best ever and the most financially successful.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-19500185
It will be fun at the end of the year when the annual sports personality of the year contest is voted for.
Posted by: Ian Goodrick | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 05:30 AM
Murray has been a different player since he hired Ivan Lendl as his coach; Lendl also lost his first four major finals. A very shrewd hire by the Murray braintrust.
Bud Collins had a funny quote about Lendl's demeaner as Lendl sat in the stands watching his charge playing at Wimbledon: "He looks like the Sphinx".
Murray needed to develop Lendl-like mental toughness to win an elusive Grand Slam trophy.
Posted by: Player | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 05:41 AM
Being a Scot of course I am celebrating Andy's victory, but I didn't watch the match as it wasn't shown live on BBC TV, though I did listen to the first set tie break on the radio, that was nerve racking enough! Every time I *have* watched Murray he has lost, so obviously its better for both of us if I don't.
Posted by: David Anderson | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 05:43 AM
You lot? Lol. What was it Churchill said? We are two great nations separated by a common language.
Amazing tennis match. I was rooting for both and was so happy for Andy.
But enough pans to the coaches and girlfriends. The girlfriends made me a tad jealous. I think I'll pick up a racquet and join the super senior tour. Lol.
Posted by: Mark | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 06:03 AM
"you lot" works. When I start reading "innit" here I'm going to get nervous. http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/innit
Posted by: Eric | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 06:13 AM
As a rather useless occasional tennis player who's half English, half American, and has lived in Scotland for the last six years, I hereby give you permission to use the phrase 'you lot'.
It suits you, my dear chap.
Posted by: Dave Morris | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 08:00 AM
Us Lot have no problem with "you lot" ;)
In fact it's a safer bet. Us Lot are still confused about our nationality. I'm not sure how many people know the difference between "Great Britain" and the "United Kingdom" and what countries are included, but it turns out most of Us Lot struggle as well. It doesn't help that there is no adjective for UK-ish, or that Northern Irish citizens can choose to represent Ireland or GB in the Olympics.
Scotland is of course part of Great Britain so Murray IS British. However, as one Scottish comedian wryly observed, in England Murray was always "Scottish" when he lost and "British" when he won. In Scotland it's the other way around.
But then, since we can hardly tell the difference between You Lot and Canadians, it's safer to say You Lot to avoid offence. After all, "American" kind of covers everyone from the Arctic Circle to Cape Horn, yet there is no adjective for USA-ian. Very confusing for Us Lot, especially when we meet a Puerto Rican...;)
Posted by: Steve Jacob | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 09:10 AM
You're definitely allowed to say "you lot"!
Posted by: Andrew | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 09:19 AM
"Us Lot are still confused about our nationality. I'm not sure how many people know the difference between "Great Britain" and the "United Kingdom" and what countries are included, but it turns out most of Us Lot struggle as well. It doesn't help that there is no adjective for UK-ish, or that Northern Irish citizens can choose to represent Ireland or GB in the Olympics."
After long consideration, and much effort trying to "suss it out," I've come to the conclusion that you lot don't WANT the rest of the world to know what to call you. That way whenever we get it wrong, as we inevitably will, you can pity us as belonging to inferior tribes of men. I've decided that from now on, I'm going to call all y'all whatever comes to mind, indulging your evident desires, and be serenely sanguine about permanently occupying a state of error.
[g]
Mike the poor benighted USAan
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 09:26 AM
Better get off the edge of that chair.
Deep vein thrombosis awaits.
Posted by: Michael Matthews | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 10:01 AM
"After long consideration, and much effort trying to 'suss it out'..."
Perhaps this will help...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10
;-)
Posted by: Jason Davidson | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 11:13 AM
"After long consideration, and much effort trying to "suss it out," I've come to the conclusion that you lot don't WANT the rest of the world to know what to call you. That way whenever we get it wrong, as we inevitably will, you can pity us as belonging to inferior tribes of men."
Hey, I didn't even get started on the Commonwealth....Ay, cobber ;)
Seriously, if you randomly tested 1,000 Brits you would probably get less than 100 correct answers. At least we didn't try and make Scotland part of England....
Wish we had just called the whole thing "Britain" and be done with it.
But I am very happy for Murray - he's a real fighter in the best Scottish tradition and he deserves it completely. He can grind just about anyone into submission and he never gives up. And I say that as an admiring Englishman who is painfully aware how many British olympic medals came from "north of the border".
Posted by: Steve Jacob | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 11:30 AM
"Perhaps this will help... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNu8XDBSn10 ;-)"
Oh my Lord.
As I say, you just don't want us to understand. [g]
Mike
Posted by: Mike Johnston | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 11:34 AM
Mike
As you navigate the dangerous shores that lie between American and British English you may find this blog useful
http://separatedbyacommonlanguage.blogspot.co.uk/
It's written by an American living in the UK and she writes well about those strange little - and they often are very small differences that often result in looks of shock and surprise.
Glad you enjoyed the match and after the Olympics and Paralympics success I'm not sure anybody can over here quite belief our luck
All the best
Gavin
Posted by: Gavin McLelland | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 01:43 PM
"As I say, you just don't want us to understand."
That would never do! Part of being British is the utter inscrutability and mystery of it all.....
Actually that was remarkably well written and succinct. I'm impressed. I did warn you though! Kafka could not have come up with anything more tortuous, or more obviously designed to make a small country seem very important....
On the other hand, the USA is doing its best to emulate it's former parent.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Territories_of_the_United_States
Posted by: Steve Jacob | Tuesday, 11 September 2012 at 08:45 PM
Sadly the sporting triumphs did not extend into the evening soccer as we lost 1-6 to Serbia. I saw only the final set of the Murray match as I woke up in HK, a mere 12 hours ahead of you in the USA, timezone-wise. I have been watching tennis either live or on TV since Maria Bueno was playing and Billy-Jean was still Little Miss Moffat. Pancho Gonzales was slugging it out with Charlie Pasarell and GB's tennis super hero was Mike Sangster. This was one of the very best results and a moment to savour. Congratulations to Mr. Murray. The empire is proud of you ;-)
Posted by: Andrew H | Wednesday, 12 September 2012 at 02:54 AM
It's "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland".
Great Britain consists of England, Wales and Scotland.
Posted by: Kit | Wednesday, 12 September 2012 at 01:06 PM