IT has been a truly incredible summer of sport, but for all the memorable moments that have already been witnessed, it can surely be argued that Andy Murray saved the greatest achievement for last.

In becoming the first British man to win a Grand Slam for 76 years, Murray erased a festering national embarrassment from the record books once and for all. Where others had tried and failed, he conquered.

Displaying an immense strength of character to go with his abundant talent, he overcame the weight of sporting history as well as Novak Djokovic, an opponent who displayed remarkable reserves of energy and spirit himself to claw back a two-set deficit and force a dramatic decider.

Murray simply would not be sated, and over the course of four hours and 54 minutes of unrelenting tension and drama, he finally delivered on the promise that had first emerged when he was crowned boys' singles champion at the US Open in 2004.

In the eight years since, there have been plenty who have predicted that he would always fall short. Four previous Grand Slam final defeats hinted at a mental fragility that might have prevented Murray from quite living up to the golden triumvirate of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, a trio who have combined to make the current era the greatest of all time in the men's game.

The arrival of Ivan Lendl as his coach undoubtedly helped, with the multiple former champion persuading Murray to adopt a more aggressive approach in the biggest matches and eradicate some of the temper tantrums that had affected his performances in the past.

Subtle technical changes were also evident. Murray's serve has stiffened in the last year or so – while there were precious few service winners from either side of the net on Monday evening, the crucial ones that did arrive tended to come from the Scot – and a powerful forehand down the line has emerged to complement the cross-court attack that has always been such a potent weapon.

The 25-year-old has built momentum as the season has progressed, reducing the level of his unforced errors, a development that enabled him to outlast Djokovic in a series of marathon points on Monday, and pummelling his ground-strokes with a depth and intensity that is now unmatched.

Winning an Olympic gold medal at Wimbledon was clearly a major staging post in his development, with Lendl consistently claiming that the achievement was akin to claiming a Grand Slam title.

In the eyes of the purists, it wasn't, but Murray finally had proof that he could triumph on tennis' grandest stages. Mentally, the final barrier to success had been overcome.

There was an element of serendipity in his route to the US Open final, with Thomas Berdych's victory over Roger Federer easing his passage, but the same can be said of any Grand Slam triumph.

Saturday's semi-final win over Berdych, which came in the teeth of a gathering gale, provided further proof of Murray's new-found mental toughness, and his performance in the final was a perfect blend of tenacity and technique.

Sublime in the first two sets, Britain's latest sporting hero was forced to dig exceptionally deep after Djokovic rallied to tie the match. An early break handed him the initiative, and with his defensive game in magnificent order, he served out the championship 79 years to the day after Fred Perry won the first of his eight major titles on the same court.

Will Murray go on to achieve a similar level of success? Only time will tell. He is young enough to realistically hope to have another half-a-decade at the top.

But whatever happens in the future, he has already achieved what so many thought impossible. Britain's golden sporting summer has its crowning glory. Murray has elevated himself to the pantheon of the all-time greats.