Wimbledon: Tough for Andy Murray, so lonely for Kim Sears But I'd bet that watching her fella secure a Wimbledon victory means little to her except the pleasure of seeing him truly happy. That's all the wives of sportsmen really want: to see our partners achieve contentment. Sadly this is the very state that eludes most great athletes and keeps them striving. I used to swim competitively and despite training nine times a week and travelling the length of the country to compete, I just didn't have that blinkered determination (or talent) to take the sport to a higher level. After yet another silver medal, I was fairly satisfied with a bag of chips and a can of fizzy orange. But it did mean that when I met James, I understood the pressure he felt and the commitment he had to make to his sport. Thankfully, Sears's father is a tennis coach so she had at least been schooled in the demanding tennis lifestyle when they met. If she's in it for the long-haul, that shared history will be vital. James and I are currently writing his memoirs for a book to be published this Christmas. So there's been rather a lot of brain-wracking in our house recently. Surprisingly, we remember events fairly similarly. He now agrees that it was no coincidence that the worst defeat he ever suffered (at the 2003 World Championships) coincided with the most difficult time in our relationship. It was the first time he'd lost at that level since 1995. Three weeks later I gave birth. Admittedly, that's a pretty stressful event for any couple but we both agree that it would have been a happier time if James had not still been reeling from defeat and terrified of the uncertainty that then surrounded the next year's Olympics. Because unlike tennis, Olympic athletes must wait another four long years for their next attempt. Murray will be back on Centre Court at the Games in only three weeks time with the US Open shortly afterwards. It may not be the same as a Wimbledon final but he gets another chance to scratch that insatiable itch incredibly soon. Watching once again will be his mother, Judy, who has done a great job of getting her son to the top level. Perhaps her emotional involvement is a distraction for Andy courtside, but any parent who has ever winced at their child missing a goal in a school football match can only imagine the helplessness she must feel as he misses a crucial point on a global stage. Perhaps a timely reminder of how lucky Judy is comes in the form of Mrs Brownlee. She's the mother of Alistair and Jonathan, numbers one and two in the world in the brutal world of competitive triathlon. On August 7, Mrs Brownlee will watch in London as her sons attempt to beat each another to the Olympic gold medal. There will be no heat. No semi-final. Just one shot, on one day. For one Brownlee brother, silver will be a crushing disappointment. For the other, success will be his just reward. Her sons won't have the £500,000 prize money that Murray made at the weekend (nor the reputed £1 million bonus from his kit sponsor). Mrs Brownlee will have to congratulate one while commiserating with the other. One will win and secure some financial recompense. One will not. I do not know how that woman sleeps at night. But what only one son will take away is the knowledge that his good is good enough. That is currently the crucial difference between Murray and Roger Federer. That gives Federer the ease and charm with which he strides. It is also the ghost that haunts Andy as his shoulders hang heavily on entering the court. It is harder to imagine Federer sulking. But then he has already won more than he's lost: played 24 Grand Slam Finals and won 17 of them. Murray has made four Grand Slam finals but Sunday was the first time he has won a set in any of them. He still doesn't know if his best is good enough. When he knows that, his girlfriend will finally have a partner who will walk a little more comfortably in his own skin. He'll grow up, start to recognise the sacrifices she makes and he'll smile more. I keep everything crossed for her. "I bet that watching her fella win means little to her except the pleasure of seeing him happy "It's no coincidence that his worst defeat coincided with the hardest time in our relationship