Times Sport editor John Hutchins offers his personal opinion on the events, topics and personalities in the world of sport.

I TAKE my hat off to Andy Murray (that’s if I wore one) who has earned the rank of number one tennis player in the world, taking the ‘title’ from his friend, the formidable Serb Novak Djokovic.

This week Murray said that he feels ‘very proud’ to become the first British singles player to be world number one since computerised rankings began in 1973. His achievement is perhaps even more remarkable in that he reached these dizzy heights in an era when the men’s game has never been more competitive at the top with the likes of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer (each one of them truly a tennis ‘great)’ to savour.

I must admit I was not always a fan of the Scotsman, who in his early days had the potential of a John McEnroe — not for his sublime tennis, more for his temperamental outbursts on court. However, as he has grown as a tennis player he has grown as a person and the unnecessary swearing and throwing of rackets are becoming more of a rarity.

His double victory at Wimbledon, a US Open title and two Olympic gold medals surely merits Murray as a true sporting great.

Another remarkable thing about Andy Murray is that he was nearly a victim of a crazed gunman, who massacred 13 children and a teacher at Dunblane Primary School in March 13, 1996. Murray was a pupil there on that infamous day and just missed being a victim himself.

Which leaves me thinking — if Andy Murray grew up to become a world tennis champion, what gifts and potential of those young victims were lost to the world that day? Those slaughtered might not have been future Wimbledon champions but their contributions would have been just as important.