As Andy Murray heads into the winter break, he will have one eye on next season whilst the other glances back fondly at his most successful year to date on the tennis court.
Changing perceptions
This followed a somewhat emotional Murray who began to reveal his hidden side after being forced to deal with a fourth Grand Slam final defeat in July, after losing the Wimbledon final to Federer on Centre Court.
Before this, the straight-faced, serious side of Murray was the norm, yet after reaching the Wimbledon singles final this summer, it was as though the clouds had lifted above Murray, letting small glints of sunshine seep through.
However 2012 was not all brightness. There were a few showers too.
The Scot was unable to advance past the French Open quarter-finals after losing to David Ferrer, and at Indian Wells, he lost his opening match in straight sets to world number 92 Guillermo Garcia-Lopez.
Yet, on the whole, one thing Murray can most definitely take from the year of gold medals, public recognition and maiden Grand Slam's, is motivation.
This has been, without doubt, his most successful year yet it is also just the beginning.
His near miss at Wimbledon will have fuelled him for next summer at SW19, his Olympic gold medal means he now knows how unbelievable it feels to win such a huge title and his defeats weaved along the way mean that he still knows what bitter disappointment tastes like.
Confident
Following his loss on Sunday, Murray remained confident as he insisted: "It was an incredibly positive year.
"It's been the best year of my career by a mile. So why I would look back on that negatively now, it would be silly because I've achieved things I've never achieved before."
And there is the vital point. He made progress and developed as a player in 2012, and there is absolutely nothing that signifies this should stop as he heads into next season.
With Lendl by his side, as well as the British public which for so long was maybe the missing ingredient, Murray looks in a great position to be able to continue on his route to the top.
He has motivation, talent and support. The talent has always been within him somewhere, the motivation has grown with every victory and the support has emerged thanks to the Scot finally showing his emotions.
2012 was indeed a fabulous year for Murray; however, his defeat to Federer right at the close of the season will have also acted as a wake-up call for him.
In professional sport, rewards do not come easily and he will have to work incredibly hard to reach the pinnacle and continually secure titles. However, after making the great strides he has already; don't be surprised if 2013 ends with even more support and silverware.
