I don't know anyone who isn’t delighted by Andy Murray’s Wimbledon triumph. Winning something, whether an international tennis tournament or a raffle prize, should be celebrated.

According to the scale of the triumph, of course – I won’t be making a speech next time I collect a bottle of vino collapso or box of date-expired chocolate mints Winners feel good about themselves and everyone else should feel good for them.

Along with the knowledge that winning is good, but nearly always hard work (unless you come up on the Lottery or Euro-Millions) comes knowing that sometimes, however hard you work and try, you are not going to be No 1 – that day.

Learning to lose, to accept that reality, to prevent it leaving you bitter and twisted, and having the generosity of spirit to congratulate your opponent, is the other great thing about competition.

To go back to Andy Murray: it must have been so hard, after a meteoric rise through the junior rankings, to lose over and over again at top level until he finally found his proper place, up where he belongs, with the stars of his sport – and sometime he will win, and sometimes they will.

How much of his ‘hard’, ‘uncaring’ and icy’ demeanour was really down to him not trusting himself to say what he really thought or felt, for fear of being accused of ‘sour grapes’, or ‘being a bad loser’.

Losing gracefully is a skill and not just an English one, as Novak Djokovic’s post-match remarks on Sunday show.

As is winning gracefully: there’s waving your victory in everyone’s face with on-pitch sweaty hugging and kissing (maybe that’s why the high five was invented, who really wants to congratulate someone by pressing yourself to their stinky dripping bosom or armpit?); there’s winning with floods of tears and alcohol-at-the Oscars- fuelled emotion and garrulity, and there’s winning with style.

Far more attractive and also surely more inspirational.