The former world No.1 has shown how truly spectacular he is during the Australian Open (Picture: Getty/Rex)

When I sat down to write this I promised myself it wouldn’t just become a love letter to Andy Murray. I am not convinced I’ve succeeded.

I had every intention of using his frankly ridiculous efforts at the Australian Open to highlight how some sports stars hit a ludicrous level of mental toughness – a will to win that carries broken bodies to barely believable successes.

However, with Murray’s heroics fresh in the mind I am mentally dragged back to them, no matter who else I want to focus on.

To recap, the former world No.1, three-time grand-slam champion and 35-year-old – who was told his career was over a few years ago – won two marathon matches at the Australian Open running on what at times seemed like pure bloody mindedness.

Unseeded, he had a tough draw, kicking off against 13th seed Matteo Berrettini. Finding a high level he won the first two sets but was pegged back to two apiece by a high-calibre opponent. Momentum, that fabled sporting force, was all with the Italian.

Nah, Murray found a way. He is a brilliant player who has always been a phenomenal competitor and it seemed as though sheer force of will won him the deciding set.

Murray plays a backhand in his match against Thanasi Kokkinakis during day four of the Australian Open at Melbourne Park (Picture: Getty)

He found an even harder way to do it in the second round against Thanasi Kokkinakis, a 26-year-old Aussie with raucous home backing in a match that had the dubious distinction of finishing after 4am. After hitting back from two sets down, Murray – the man with the metal hip – won the longest match of his illustrious career.

Alright, he went out fighting over four sets in the next round to Roberto Bautista Agut, but even then the Scot’s mind-over-matter strength could be seen as he played some top-class tennis despite being barely able to walk at times between points.

The fact Murray is there at all can only be down to mental fortitude, highlighted by the tweet he sent out in the wake of his exit: ‘Two days ago I randomly bumped into the doctor who in 2017 told me “the good news is the problem you have in your hip can be fixed but you won’t be able to play professional sport again.”’

The Scotsman was told he’d never play again in 2017 (Picture: Getty)

He essentially has no right to be on court, let alone fighting at slams and targeting a high enough ranking to be seeded at Wimbledon later this year.

All this got me thinking about sporting heroes and heroines whose grit and mental toughness carried them to greater heights. Football clubs have fan-favourite stalwarts who are loved for their drive, passion and longevity. Those whose attitude is almost the defining aspect of their career – like Mark Noble for so long at West Ham. Most clubs have their own equivalents, with each generation having their own ‘mentality monster’ as Jurgen Klopp might put it.

Other team sports have their legends who always dig deep and drag their teams to greater heights. That fierce competitor Ben Stokes changing the whole mindset of England’s Test cricket team to great effect is one very good current example.

Irrespective of the result, Murray continued to show great mental fortitude through the tournament (Picture: Getty)

Solitary sports throw mental strength into even sharper focus. When Murray was limping between points, then racing around during rallies, it was pure mind over matter. He cannot use his own drive to rally team-mates, he’s flying solo.

There are countless examples of sporting successes which defied logic. Nikki Lauda was not only back in a Formula One car weeks after being read the last rites following a horrendous racing accident, he was world champion the next year.

Then you have Tiger Woods winning golf’s US Open with a torn ACL and stress fracture, while there other examples that can encompass entire sports or disciplines.

Cyclists and jockeys for example are famously nuts when it comes to punishing their bodies, often carrying on with horrific injuries which would send most of us limping off to bed (or hospital) feeling sorry for ourselves.

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Katie Archibald and Laura Kenny being back in the velodrome at the highest level last year after personal tragedies showed real inner strength.

That mental toughness does not always result in success. For many, just getting to the start line has taken steel that is hard to comprehend, like so many para-athletes. Ultra runners, iron man, combat sports and others by their nature require special mindsets.

For professional sports stars, getting out there and performing is their job. Many of us go to work with the weight of the world on our shoulders, feeling unwell or after personal setbacks and we muddle through as best we can.

The vast majority of us can do that without public scrutiny but that takes nothing from the mental struggles of trying to crack on in difficult times.

So rather than just sit back in awe at the likes of Andy Murray, maybe his resolve can serve as a reminder of how powerful a tool our brains – and that will to succeed – can be.

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‘Maybe his resolve can serve as a reminder of how powerful a tool our brains can be.’