Really, Didier? Drogba insists Shanghai move isn't about the money... as he's unveiled in £270k-a-week role

Didier Drogba insists it is not money but the big challenge in an unfamiliar land that lured him to China.
More than 300 fans gathered to welcome the former Chelsea man on his much-anticipated arrival to join Chinese Super League strugglers Shanghai Shenhua.
Drogba has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the big-spending club for a reported salary of £270,000.

Welcome to your new home: Didier Drogba has been unveiled at his new club, Shanghai Shenhua

He said: 'I decided to come here because when the club and the president approached me, I looked at the project and it came with ambitious ideas. He wants to help football develop in China.
'I know China is a great sports country so for me it was also a big challenge because it could have been easy for me to stay in Europe and go to another team, another big team.
'Really, I didn't come here with the idea of making a lot of money. I come here because it is a completely different challenge from what I have seen in Europe before.
'And that's the idea, there are many challenges but this one is a big one.'
Drogba's arrival is the latest in a long list of high-profile names who have made the move to China in recent months.

Meet and great: Drogba was mobbed as he arrived at Pudong international airport in Shanghai

Italian World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi is in charge of a Guangzhou Evergrande side packed full of skilful South American talent.
Drogba, who scored 157 times in 341 appearances for Chelsea making him the club's fourth all-time leading scorer, is the biggest catch of them all.
The 34-year old striker will join former Chelsea team mate Nicolas Anelka at the club struggling at the 13th spot in the 16-club Chinese Super League. Shanghai Shenhua is coached by former Argentina boss Sergio Batista.
'The results of my new team, they are not so good, not so great. But you know, the second part of the season just started and I think we have time to make some better results and to bring the club to a better place,' Drogba said.

Super supporters: Fans were full of voice and celebration as they welcomed the Ivorian

'With my team mates, we are going to perform as much as we can. And I came here to win the league, I am not coming here as the beginning of the retirement or something like this.
'I want people to make sure and to understand that I am here to win. I am not here to sit and relax.'
The fans arrived in the early hours of the morning at the Shanghai Pudong International Airport, many dressed in the club's blue jersey bearing 'Drogba 11', and their hopes were also pinned on the Drogba-Anelka strike force.

All hail: After his press conference, Drogba was paraded on the pitch before a game

'I believe that with his arrival, our results will improve significantly, because he has a good rapport with Anelka,' 23-year-old Zhu Hongbo said.
'Also, we have brought in a midfield player in (Giovanni) Moreno. I think for the second half of the year, our results will improve and we can be in the top three.'

China awaits Drogba

SHANGHAI - Football star Didier Drogba will land in China on Saturday to take up his new role at Shanghai Shenhua, the club said, amid high hopes he can reignite the 13th-placed team's season.

Drogba announced last month he had signed with the big-spending Chinese club until 2014, joining his former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka who started with the team in January.
The Ivory Coast international will meet fans at a match against third-ranked Beijing Guoan on Saturday evening, Shenhua said yesterday. A Shenhua official told AFP that Drogba would not play on Saturday.
Shenhua have an away game against Guangzhou Fuli on July 21 but there is speculation Drogba might only take to the field for the first time in a friendly against Manchester United on July 25. Shenhua are reportedly paying £200000 (R1.4-million) a week to Drogba, 34, who is fresh from leading Chelsea to their long-awaited victory in the Champions League.
However, neither side has confirmed his salary.
Despite having Anelka, Shenhua have won just three matches out of 16 in the Chinese Super League, which has 16 clubs.
Shenhua are one of several Chinese football clubs to have recruited foreign players and managers in a bid to raise their game, as the league attempts to shrug off years of damaging corruption scandals.
After a poor start to the season, Shenhua sacked French coach Jean Tigana and replaced him with former Argentina manager Sergio Batista, after briefly naming Anelka as player-coach.
Batista said shortly after Drogba's signing that he was hopeful Shenhua could climb into the top three by season's end in November. Hope Drogba will live to his expectation, he has to make sure he carries the new team along in top form.Much is expected from the Ivorian Striker, who recently carried the champions league cup final, with Chelsea football club.

Racism is not in my character, says Terry as Chelsea skipper returns to court for day two

Chelsea captain John Terry reacted with anger at claims he racially abused footballer Anton Ferdinand, a court heard.
The former England skipper said he was hurt and shocked by suggestions he called Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" during a match on October 23 last year.
During his trial for a racially aggravated public order offence, which he denies, Terry listened to a Football Association interview he took part in shortly after the heated Premier League clash.

Day two: John Terry arrives at Westminster Magistrates Court on Tuesday morning

 

He told investigator Jennifer Kennedy that he believed Ferdinand shouted the words 'black c***' at him during the game and understood the QPR player to be wrongly accusing him of shouting the slur.
Terry, 31, said: 'I have been called a lot of things in my football career, and off the pitch, but being called a racist I am not prepared to take. That's why I came out and made my statement immediately.
'I am not having Anton thinking that about me or anyone else. That's not my character at all.'
The players clashed in the QPR penalty area as Chelsea chased the game, 1-0 down and with just nine players.
Ferdinand admits shouting abuse at Terry over his alleged relationship with Wayne Bridge's girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel.
It was all 'banter' but Terry was worried Ferdinand genuinely thought he had racially abused him so talked to him after the game, he said.
'I felt strongly about it and wanted to clear it up before I left the stadium or he got the chance to leave the stadium.'
Part of the exchange was caught on camera - Terry said he was aware of how the CCTV looked to people who did not understand the context.

Early start: Chelsea captain John Terry denies racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match

 

Terry said that after hearing Ferdinand say 'black c***', he repeated the phrase and then called him a 'f****** knobhead' for thinking he had originally said that.
Terry said he could not think of anything he said that would make the QPR player believe he had racially abused him.
'I know I have nothing to hide,' he said.
He added that, with all the cameras and thousands of fans present, a player would not shout racist abuse across the pitch at someone.
He said of the accusation: 'I was hurt by it, taken aback and really surprised.'
He added: 'It's something I took and didn't like it at all. I have never been accused of that before, inside or outside football.
'I took it to heart. If I had something to hide I wouldn't be projecting it in front of the Sky cameras and the people in the ground.
'I could have easily had my hand over my mouth or whispered in his ear.'
The Chelsea captain acknowledged the footage 'did not look good' but repeated that he had nothing to hide.

Centre of attention: Chelsea skipper John Terry arrives at court

His representative, Keith Cousins, told the hearing that Terry was 'rhetorically responding' to what he thought Ferdinand had accused him of.
'The important factor is what you thought you were being accused of,' he said.
Terry, listening to the interview in the glass dock, said if the same thing happened again he would go straight to the referee.
He said whenever players sign for Chelsea, regardless of their colour, he accepts them, takes care of them and welcomes them into his home.
He told Ms Kennedy that after the game he was anxious to speak to Ferdinand and did so with his left-back team-mate, Ashley Cole.
He said: 'I said "Was you accusing me of calling you a black c***?" - my exact words - and he said "No, not at all".
'I said to him "I thought you were accusing me of calling you a black c***".'
Terry then said 'good' and that he did not want Ferdinand thinking he had racially abused him.
The defendant said he is frequently abused by fans and other players over his alleged relationship with Vanessa Perroncel - as are his family.

Back to business: Anton Ferdinand (centre) led his QPR team-mates in training on Tuesday morning

'As a footballer you have to take it on the chin a bit,' he added.
In Terry's police interview on November 25 he told officers he shook some QPR players' hands after the game but not Ferdinand's.
He told detectives 'industrial language' among footballers was unremarkable but using racist terms was 'completely unacceptable'.
Terry repeated to officers that he believed Ferdinand had shouted 'black c***' at him and his response was: "F*** off, f*** off, yeah, yeah, black c***, f****** knobhead...
'He was being a knobhead for alleging I had.'
The court also heard that Terry had worked with former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly and striker Didier Drogba's African charities.
It emerged today that the only person who initially complained to police about Terry was an off-duty police officer watching the game on television.

Accused: Terry denies any wrongdoing after being charged with shouting an offensive comment to Ferdinand

Running through a police log, Terry's QC George Carter-Stephenson said that four days after the match, which was watched by more than two million, a note was made saying it was 'highly unlikely Anton Ferdinand or any other QPR staff likely to assist with providing statements'.
On November 4, one of Mr Ferdinand's camp told police 'he didn't see why' he should be involved and 'any jury can make up their own mind'.
But soon after, Mr Ferdinand's public relations agent Justin Rigby began pushing the police to charge Terry, Mr Carter-Stephenson said.
Cross examining the investigating officer Detective Constable David Doherty, the barrister said if Terry was not charged, Mr Rigby was planning to advise his player to take civil action against Terry and take the issue to the media.
Mr Rigby told the officer that with no action it would appear that it was a black man's word against a white man's.
Mr Doherty denied Mr Rigby was pushing him to charge Terry, as the decision to bring charges is made by the Crown Prosecution Service.

In the dock: John Terry listens as Anton Ferdinand takes the witness stand on Monday

Mr Carter-Stephenson said: 'You couldn't get to Mr Ferdinand unless through Mr Rigby?'
The officer answered: 'Or his mother.'
This morning's session ended with Mr Carter-Stephenson applying to the district judge, chief magistrate Howard Riddle, to dismiss the case.
The barrister said Ferdinand was an unreliable witness and the lip reading experts agreed it was impossible to clarify what was said at the key moment from the footage.
He said the case was 'so weak and tenuous it does not warrant it going any further'.
In reply, prosecutor Duncan Penny said that in the first account that Mr Terry gave, he said Ferdinand had said something about 'calling me a black c***'.
He said: 'I think I was saying "you black c***, you're a f****** knobhead".'
Mr Penny told the Chief Magistrate it was 'unlikely' that someone's first reaction to an accusation of racist abuse would be to repeat the same words.
'Mr Terry's defence is "my immediate reaction was to use exactly the same words, not surprise, nothing of that nature, just to repeat the words back. You could form the view that is very unlikely,' he said.
Mr Riddle found that there was a case to answer, and said it would be 'inappropriate' to give reasons at this stage.

Don't cry girls, he did us proud: Tearful Kate, Kim and 15million Britons see Andy Murray's heroic Wimbledon final defeat to Federer

• Roger Federer defeats Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to win record seventh Wimbledon singles title
• 20 million tuned in to watch the match on television with the All England Club full to capacity
• Duchess of Cambridge, her sister Pippa Middleton, Prime Minister David Cameron and David and Victoria Beckham among celebrities who attended the match

In the end, it was all too much for Andy Murray. After heroic defeat at the hands of perhaps the all-time greatest, there was nothing he – or his equally upset but proud girlfriend Kim Sears – could do to stop the tears.
Too emotional to speak immediately after defeat in the historic Wimbledon final, he threw his head back, stared at the sky and tried to compose himself for the traditional post-match BBC interview.
Up in the players’ box, his girlfriend Kim put her hand to her mouth as she and his mother Judy Murray started to well up too.
‘I’m getting closer,’ he eventually joked through his tears when he was finally able to speak to interviewer Sue Barker.

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A watery-eyed Duchess of Cambridge looks on as an emotional Andy Murray loses at Wimbledon yesterday, while his girlfriend Kim Sears, right, bursts into sobs

Hard to handle: It was all too much for Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears, who wiped away tears from the stands following his defeat to Federer

Kim wipes away a tear with a tissue. Both Judy and Kim found it hard to hide their emotions after Andy Murray was defeated by Roger Federer in the Wimbledon final

Downcast: The faces of Andy Murray and his girlfriend Kim Sears say it all after his defeat

Cue rapturous applause. Cue mass tears too – not only from ‘Team Murray’ but all round Centre Court. Even the Duchess of Cambridge bit her wobbling lip in the royal box.
It was the moment the nation finally fell in love with Andy Murray. For while he lost the final, he won the public’s hearts.
So long regarded as slightly dour and moody, he let down his guard and showed a touching vulnerability as he paraded his hurt at losing for all too see.
But despite his devastation, he was magnanimous in defeat, paying tribute to everyone who supported him – and to his conqueror Roger Federer, for whom it was a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon men’s singles title and 17th Grand Slam title overall.
Putting on a brave face Murray said: 'I'm getting closer. I'm going to try this and it's not going to be easy,' the 25-year-old said, to deafening applause.
'First I would like to congratulate Roger, I was getting asked the other day after I won my semi-final, is this your best chance, Roger is 30 now? He isn't bad for a 30-year-old,’ said the 25-year-old Scot.
‘He played a great tournament and showed what fight he has left in him. So congratulations Roger, you deserve it.'
Then turning to his support team, parents and girlfriend, he said: ‘I’m going to try not to look at them, otherwise I’ll cry again. Everyone in that corner who has supported me through this tournament, they did a great job so thank you.’ Then to the crowd: ‘Last of all, to you guys...’ More sobs.

A word in your ear: Andy Murray congratulates Roger Federer on his record seventh Wimbledon singles title

True champ: (left) Roger Federer celebrates the winning point and (right) he consoles Andy Murray with a hug

Choked: An emotional Andy Murray struggles to compose himself as interviewer and former player Sue Barker looks on

‘Everybody always talks about the pressure of playing at Wimbledon. How tough it is. But it’s not the people watching – they make it so much easier to play. The support has been incredible.’
It had looked as if history was about to be rewritten when Murray, the first Briton to reach the final for 74 years, took the first set. But his opponent is not called the ‘Fed Express’ for nothing, and he roared back to take the next three sets in a three-hour, 24-minute drama watched by 15million on TV.
Despite the crowd’s cheers, Murray just could not find the reserves that would have made him the first British man to win the title since Fred Perry in 1936. Instead he had to content himself with equalling the feat of Bunny Austin, the last Briton to reach the final, in 1938.
Federer, who today regains his world number one ranking, won 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4.
Later, away from the melting pot of the Centre Court, a slightly more composed Murray told reporters he had apologised to Federer for his emotional display before the trophy presentation. ‘I just said to him, sorry. I didn’t obviously want that to happen. You feel like you’re kind of attention seeking or something. It was not like that at all,’ he said. ‘He just laughed. He said, “This is meant to be the easy part, doing the speeches after the match. But sometimes it feels quite hard compared with playing a tennis match”.’
Murray said he was happy with his performance, adding: ‘I’d say that’s the best I’ve played in a Slam final.’

By Royal disappointment: The Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa Middleton appear visibly upset as they applaud the finalists

Into the record books: Roger Federer lifts the coveted the trophy for a seventh time equaling the record set by Pete Sampras. It is his 17th Grand Slam title

Not bad for a 30-year-old: Federer beams with delight as he salutes the crowd from the balcony

Daddy's girls: Roger Federer's wife Mirka and twin daughters Myla Rose and Charlene Riva applaud his victory from the family box

Disappointment: A dejected Andy Murray struggles to put on a brave face as he ponders his defeat and (right) collects his runners up trophy

Contrast: It's jubilation for Roger Federer (left) but misery for Andy Murray (right) as the 30-year-old Swiss seals victory and a record seventh Wimbledon title   

So near, so far: Die-hard fans on Murray Mound can't bear to watch as Federer eases to victory in the fourth set

During the match Judy Murray was, as ever, the barometer for her son’s progress.
She leapt to her feet, clenched her fist, pumped the air and yelled ‘Come on!’ whenever her boy pulled an unplayable shot out of the bag; gurned with anguish at times of despair. As Federer cruised into control, her jaw jutted and she clenched her teeth.
When defeat came, she looked devastated – but was the first on her feet to applaud her son’s vanquisher.
As Murray’s father Willie Murray, who separated from Judy when Andy was 11, left the ground, he too looked like he had been crying.
At home in Stirlingshire, Murray’s grandmother Ellen Murray, 78, said: ‘It’s very disappointing. I didn’t watch the match – my husband told me the result. We are all very proud and there’s always next year.’
Federer, who is once again world number one following the victory praised his opponent saying consoled his rival, joking: 'He will at least win one grand slam' and said he was delighted to equal Pete Sampras. 'He is my hero and it feels amazing.'

A celebrity-studded crowd, including the Duchess of Cambridge and her sister Pippa Middleton, had cheered Murray on as he got off to a storming start, breaking Federer's serve in the first game and playing with confidence and determination to take the first set.

Prime Minister David Cameron and London Mayor Boris Johnson as Murray slips to defeat in the fourth and final set

Local hero: Residents in Dunblane, Scotland, Murray's hometown, struggle to contain their disappointment as they watch the match on a big screen

Winning moment: Federer celebrates his emphatic victory after defeating Andy Murray 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4

Crashing out: Murray takes a tumble during the third set as Federer begins to take control of the match

Fall guy: Murray grits his teeth as he takes a tumble in the third set

Title battle: Federer celebrates winning another game as a struggling Murray hurls is racket to the ground in frustration as he struggles to stay in the match

Holding court: Murray serves to Federer on his way to taking a tense first set by six games to four

But in the end Federer, 30, proved just too to tough a nut to crack, as he raised his game in the second and third sets forcing Murray onto the back foot.
Murray, 25, had hoped to become the first Briton to win the Wimbledon men's singles title in 76 years. The atmosphere on Centre Court was electric with the crowd - which included the Duchess of Cambridge, her sister Pippa Middleton and the Beckhams - cheering every point.

David Cameron, Nick Clegg and his wife Miriam as well as London mayor Boris Johnson also attended the highly-anticipated match. Murray's girlfriend Kim Sears had looked remarkably calm as her long-term partner faced the biggest test of his career so far.
During the match The Middleton sisters could be seen excitedly talking and clapping in the royal box, while the Prime Minister, who was accompanied by his mother,  put his hand to his mouth in shock at one point as he watched intently.
Every point was greeted by an explosion of cheers and cries of 'come on Andy', from a fiercely partisan crowd. Hundreds of fans had queued for hours in the rain just for the chance of watching the match from 'Murray Mound' inside the grounds.

 Royal duty: Kate Middleton and sister Pippa cheer on Andy Murray from the Royal Box

(left) Mirka Federer, wife of Switzerland's Roger Federer and (right) Tense: Andy Murray 's girlfriend Kim Sears watch the action from the Family Box

Leading the way: David Cameron, accompanied by his mother Mary, rises to his feet to applaud a Murray winner but moments later he can't bear to watch as the tension mounts

The Duchess of Cambridge wore a £275 Joseph Vanessa dress which she previously donned on her and her husband's visit to Canada. She teamed the dress with the £480 Joseph jacket which she previously wore the Nessie tweed jacket to the Epsom Derby.

Federer has now won 17 grand slam titles in a glittering career and has beaten Murray in all seven of their finals they have contested

Speaking before the match a determined Murray had said that the Centre Court battle will mean nothing unless he takes the title.
He said: 'Knowing I am through to the final of Wimbledon fills me with so many emotions, but all of that will count for nothing unless I come away with the title,' he writes in his blog on the BBC Sport website. 'The only thing I can afford to focus on is my game and Roger Federer. He is a player I've beaten in the past, and I can do it again. The one thing I can guarantee is that I'll fight my absolute heart out.'
In his honest and open account, Murray continued: 'Federer is arguably the best player of all time. There are a few guys who have a decent claim, but I'd say Roger and Pete Sampras.'

Seven time Wimbledon Men's Champion Roger Federer attends the Wimbledon Championships 2012 Winners Ball in London

Five times Wimbledon Ladies Champion Serena Williams at the Wimbledon Championships 2012 Winners Ball

National pride: Scottish Murray fans watch the match at a pub in Dunblane, Scotland

Rain or shine: The torrential downpour at the start of the third set was not enough to put off the die-hard fans on Murray Mount

All smiles: Demand for tickets soared over the weekend, and bookmakers William Hill had given Murray odds of 13/8 to lift the title, and 7/2 to win the first set then the match

Rooting for Murray: Olympic rowing multi-gold medalist Sir Steve Redgrave watches the match from the Royal Box

The wait goes on: Murray had aimed to become the first British Wimbledon Singles Champion since Fred Perry seen here in action on the first day at Wimbledon in 1936

ROBERT HARDMAN: Andy Murray gave his all and can hold his head up high... and I've never heard such heartfelt cheers for a man who lost

So, Fred Perry must remain atop his dusty pedestal, just like Bobby Moore and the World Cup-winning England squad of 1966.

Andy Murray gave his all and can hold his head up high. So can British – and especially Scottish – tennis. But ultimately, there was no stopping the onward march of the Swiss trophy harvester that is Roger Federer as he claimed a record-equalling seventh Wimbledon championship – and a 17th Grand Slam title – yesterday afternoon.

By yesterday evening, though, Murray had certainly won over legions of new supporters with his emotional tribute to the victor, to his own inner circle and to the British public who were finally allowed a very public glimpse of the real Murray.

A legion of fans enjoy the action during the first set on 'Murray Mount'

Murray roared into the lead, claiming the first set, and looked on top of his game

But Federer fought back and regained the upper hand, claiming the second set

Andy Murray crashed to a brave defeat against Roger Federer

‘I’m going to try this and it’s not going to be easy,’ he said, holding the microphone at the end of this four-hour epic.
Easy it was not as he choked his gratitude to the whole country which had been rooting for him.

Never mind the tennis.This was a battle against 76 years of history, a monumental burden of expectation and the inner demons of a man for whom the word ‘dour’ has always seemed something of an understatement.

On top of all that, he had arguably the  greatest player of all time on the other side of the net. Home advantage?
Hardly. The leaden sky hanging over London SW19 finally burst just as the momentum was turning in Federer’s favour.
He may have won seven Wimbledons but he tends to do even better indoors.
And as the sliding roof of Wimbledon’s Centre Court slid shut, so Murray’s chances seemed to be left out in the wet.
For much of an excruciating afternoon, it seemed that the 25-year-old might live up to the hype.
From the saloon bars of Dunblane to the shanty town of brollies on Wimbledon’s ‘Murray Mound’ (I think we can now dispense with ‘Henman Hill’), Murray had the crowd and most of the country with him. On Centre Court, there was no concealing the partisan feelings in an unusually star-studded Royal Box.

As well as the Duke of Kent and his siblings, the royal party included the Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by her sister, Pippa Middleton.

Politicians have always tended to avoid Wimbledon, fearful of charges of elitism or of putting their feet up when they should be running the country.
But no one queried the presence of the Prime Minister, David Cameron, in the front row of the Royal Box (with his mother, Mary).
He was not only representing the nation – tennis happens to be his game.

Scotland’s First Minister, the SNP’s Alex Salmond, was certainly not going to miss a potentially epiphanic moment for Scottish sport here in this leafiest of English suburbs. He was one of the first to arrive in his seat.

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson and the Beckhams were all cheering/wincing/cheering with the best of them as the first set finally went Murray’s way.
Victoria Beckham struck an enigmatic pose, chin in hand for most of the day in the manner of Rodin’s Thinker.

I ventured out on to Murray Mound, the great sloping grass terrace where thousands of fans had gathered to watch it all on a giant screen. Many had camped out for days or queued all night just for the thrill of watching at arm’s length from the real thing.

They knew they would see nothing more than the coverage available on their televisions at home and that they were in for a drenching.
But that had been no deterrent for Mark Shannon, 21, a physiotherapy student at the University of East London. He and three friends had taken a £60 cab in the early hours to get in the queue before the London Underground could open. ‘It’s a bit of history,’ he said.

The royal party present included the Duchess of Cambridge, accompanied by her sister, Pippa Middleton

Go Andy: Spectators cheer on Murray Mound. Every point is being greeted by an explosion of cheers and cries of 'come on Andy', from a fiercely partisan crowd

Murray mania: Fans wave the Union flag as Murray wins another tense point

Getting shirty: An Andy Murray fan celebrates an early point

Union flags easily outnumbered the Scottish Saltire. But even among the Scottish contingent, there was none of the resentment sometimes voiced in the Scottish media at seeing their man being dressed up in a British flag. ‘You’ve fostered him, which is fine, but he belongs to us,’ laughed Edith French from Aberdeen.

Sheila McGoldrick had long planned her journey down from Murray’s home town of Dunblane. She had come with a ticket for Court Number One where an invitation match featuring Martina Navratilova was the main attraction. But she and her friends had cheerfully abandoned all that to sit on the hill in the rain with wet sandwiches and half-bottles of white wine.

‘I know Andy’s grandmother Shirley,’ said Sheila. ‘I was in the local Ladies’ Circle years ago with her and I remember her turning up at events with these two naughty little boys. And here we are for one of them. It’s very emotional.’
Inside Centre Court, there was no shortage of tanked-up crowd banter – lots of ‘C’mon Andy!’ and even an ‘I love you, Pippa!’ Miss Middleton, wisely, feigned deafness.

Come the end of the first set, the country was daring to dream as Murray clinched it 6-4. The Prime Minister was straight on his feet. By the end of the second set, as a wobbling Federer suddenly summoned reserves of steel to grab it 7-5, there was an aching, familiar feeling.
When rain halted play in the third set while the roof went on, everyone reverted to the default setting of the British sports fan: clutching at straws.

On Centre Court and out on the hill, they put on their brave faces. But you could sense that everyone had an inkling of what was coming next. Suddenly the gap in talent seemed more pronounced. You could even see it in the blasted clothing.
On the one side was Federer with his crisp white shirt and perfect socks, his emotionless entourage all in matching ‘RF’ baseball caps (even indoors). Here was an unruffled team who had been here before. Many times. And then there was the porridge-fuelled Murray in his sagging T-shirt and socks at half-mast, while his disconsolate non-colour-co-ordinated loved ones did their best to hide their anguish.

Come the end, a defiant set of bagpipes played a lament up on  the mound.
Many welled up. Sue Callaghan, 59, from Walton-on-the-Hill, Surrey, could not hold back the tears.
This was her 39th consecutive Wimbledon championship and, for an hour or so, she had felt on the brink of the promised land.
‘I’ll be on a downer for a few days, I can tell you,’ she said. ‘But we’re good losers. Andy’s done well. He’s getting nearer every year and Federer can’t go on for ever.’
Thus, no doubt, will Britain digest the Day We Came So Close.
For another year, we have to go back to Fred Perry, the Abdication and the year of Hitler’s Berlin Olympics to find a home-grown Wimbledon men’s singles champion.
But have there ever been such raucous cheers for a losing finalist? Had he been thrashed, the mood would have been different. Yet, these crowds went away with a sense of greater things to come. And they may not have to wait until next year. ‘We’ve got the Olympic tennis here in a few weeks,’ said Sue Callaghan. ‘Just imagine if Andy wins gold.’
Let’s not get carried away. But the Wimbledon staff had better start laying down some fresh turf on Murray Mound. Fast.

Speaking earlier today a determined Murray claimed the Centre Court battle would mean nothing unless he takes the title

Best of British: Scotland's national flag flies alongside the Union flag at Downing Street, in support of Andy Murray