The whole nation was caught up in the drama of a wonderful match, and that has to be encouraging for the future of the sport.
The final eclipse of Murray's dreams did not stop the Lawn Tennis Association's chief executive, Roger Draper, from crowing that "club membership is booming right now", or his management company XIX from receiving a wave of interest from new sponsors.
"It is nice for tennis to be the main story," Murray said on Monday. "With me reaching the finals and Jonny Marray winning the doubles, it has been the best Wimbledon for a long time from a British perspective."
