It had been the most energy-sapping three sets of his career, with the world No. 2 eventually beating the world No. 1 following three hours of brutal battle, but Murray didn't want to go to sleep.

After waiting his entire career to win the title Britain had so wanted for nearly eight decades, the Scot was scared of waking up to discover it was all a dream.

"That's the one worry you have when you go to bed," Murray told CNN after becoming the first male British singles champion at Wimbledon since Fred Perry.

"You wake up and it's actually not true, so I was obviously very happy and relieved that I had done it."

Blog: Murray grasps opportunity to make history

Twelve months ago Murray had sobbed on Centre Court after losing his first Wimbledon final to Roger Federer.

Redemption came a month later on the same court against the same opponent, only with a different outcome.

The Scot won to clinch Olympic gold at London 2012 and the hearts of a jubilant British public began to soften towards a man that had arguably come up short in the popularity stakes when compared to another British tennis star -- the now retired -- Tim Henman.

In September a first grand slam title promptly followed at the U.S. Open, as Murray beat Djokovic in five sets in New York.

"Last year was the toughest loss of my career," explained the 26-year-old Murray when asked about his defeat in last year's Wimbledon final. "It was the first time I responded well from a grand slam defeat and the Olympics helped.

"That period after the Wimbledon final and the Olympics was probably the most important of my career because it could have gone the other way. I could have not recovered from it and it could have been a struggle but I worked hard.

"I said after the semifinal that Wimbledon is the pinnacle of the sport," added Murray, referring to his comments after his last four win over Jerzy Janowicz.

"To do it with all of the pressure and stuff was really tough, it took a lot out of me. I'm just glad I don't have to worry about it anymore."

Weight of expectation

Murray might have been worrying, but so to has the British public. Worrying about a Briton winning Wimbledon has been a national pastime.

He is the country's sole male tennis star and his annual quest for grass-court glory grips millions of anxious fans.

While the shouts of encouragement inside Centre Court can work in Murray's favor, the media interest and the weight of expectation can also be a monkey on his back.