Laughter is not a characteristic you would immediately associate with Andy Murray but as the 25-year-old Scot told journalists at British team headquarters near London's Olympic Park yesterday: "I laugh a lot – just not in front of you guys. Your questions normally aren't that funny. I go to quite a lot of comedy shows and stand-up comedy. Laughing is normally the best way to get over most things."

Research is at quite an early stage but apparently there is still a large body of opinion that Andy Murray, rather than making striking progress towards finding a more comfortable place among the most formidable elite his game has ever known, merely confirmed his status as a serial loser on the Centre Court on Sunday.

My body is not ready to play again and my mind is not in the right place. I need the right amount of rest

He'd just won his seventh Wimbledon title and Centre Court was going wild, but Roger Federer had been well-drilled by his corporate sponsors, so calmly sat down and strapped on his wrist watch.

The Centre Court didn't get its British champion, it didn't have any healing of the 76-year-old wound, but it was maybe not the worst of fates. It just had to go on sharing the champion of the world, the player who is nominally Swiss but above all the property of any nation which can rise up and salute the kind of talent that crosses all borders as though they do not exist.

The Scot will be back at Wimbledon in 19 days' time in a quest to win the Olympics

"This tournament's always tough," a tearful Andy Murray said, tears beginning to flow freely, only moments after losing the Wimbledon final yesterday to Roger Federer. It was the start of a gracious and surprisingly open-hearted tribute to his opponent, which, if nothing else, did for the legend of the dour, unsmiling Scot.

'Feelgood factor' is a nebulous concept. But sport does make life brighter

It will take time for the disappointment to subside, but when Andy Murray looks back on his first Wimbledon final he will surely take pride in his performance. Roger Federer won 4-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-4 to claim his seventh All England Club title, but Murray made the 30-year-old Swiss produce one of the finest performances of his career.

Champion is the complete package – but Murray belongs on the same court

The fairytale ending was not to be. But the nation can take pride that Andy Murray held nothing back – not even his tears

Andy Murray was unable to hold back the tears as he assessed his Wimbledon final defeat to Roger Federer.

Roger Federer's win over Andy Murray has won more than £100,000 for charity.

An 11-year-old who is battling leukaemia will today perform the coin toss at this year's historic Wimbledon men's singles final.