Judy Murray claims her son, Andy, used emotion of Wimbledon defeat as the catalyst to his first grand slam From there, he didn't have too much time before the Olympics, when he was a small part of a much bigger sporting occasion and there was not so much pressure on him. Winning gold and silver gave him so much confidence and again the public were so much behind him. The thing that has really helped him is the support of the British public. Judy said watching the five-set win over Novak Djokovic on Monday had been "torture," but she added: "The momentum was all with Novak going into the final set but I just had this feeling. I could see in Andy's face and tell from the mannerisms that he wasn't going to let it get away from him. Sir Alex Ferguson, who watched the match with Judy Murray in her son's box at Flushing Meadow, said the experience had been far more nerve-racking than any Manchester United match. The manager said: "I'm really proud for the boy. When he really needed to he showed it. That was a real test of a champion for me. I love tennis, I love watching tennis and to be involved was a really special moment. It was more nerve racking than a Premier League match. I'm usually in control of my own situation, but I wasn't in control tonight. Ferguson was among Murray's burgeoning band of famous supporters, which included actors Sean Connery and Kevin Spacey. Connery said: "I always felt he had everything and now it's really come to fruition. I met him for the first time a couple of days ago. It's great for Scotland. We've had a really great landslide victory. And stop saying he's British, he's Scottish. Spacey added: "I don't think I have ever wanted something more for someone. For all of us who either live in Britain, like I do, or are from Britain, the place must be going nuts. It is so well deserved. There's a time for sporting greats - and this is Andy's time. Another actor, Matthew Perry, tweeted his delight at being allowed by Murray to hold the US Open trophy when the pair appeared on US television together on Tuesday.