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PARIS -- For each top athlete, a word. For Usain Bolt, it would have to be speed. For footballs Lionel Messi: balance. For swimmer Michael Phelps: buoyant. But for the new king of mens tennis, Andy Murray, a quality both mental and physical springs to mind: fortitude.Meanies would argue that Murray has taken over the No.1 ranking this week -- the first Briton to reach the summit -- only because the three players who were better than him for so long finally vacated it, a tennis equivalent of John, Paul and George giving Ringo a rare turn at the mic. And there is a modicum of truth in that.Roger Federer, the 17-time major champion who this week dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since October 2002, long had the measure of Murray, beating him in three Grand Slam finals, but is now a largely spent force at age 35.Rafael Nadals creaky body is paying the bill for his brand of nitro-power tennis that won him 14 major titles and the top ranking for a total of 141 weeks to July 2014. The 30-year-old hasnt won a major since then, or even made a semifinal, and has had injuries to both wrists. But his career Grand Slam record against Murray is unequivocal: seven wins in nine encounters, with the last defeat way back at the 2010 Australian Open.And the top dog Murray toppled, the now second-ranked Novak Djokovic, won five of his 12 major titles by beating the Scot in the final. If Djokovic can now regroup, rethink and re-motivate himself with new targets having completed his career Grand Slam this year and then suffering a dip, leaving the door ajar for Murray, then the reign of the new No. 1 could be short.The top ranking, then, doesnt change the fact that Murray is still only, a word that seems uncharitable in the circumstances, the fourth-best player in what has been modern tennis toughest era. But Murray may well be the most stubborn, the eras paragon of perseverance. Being the fourth member of the Big Four for so long could have broken players with less heart. He first got to the No. 2 ranking more than seven years ago and spent a total of 76 weeks there. Thats a long time to be waiting in the wings.But, in the end, Murray outlasted all-comers. He is the sailor who soldiered through storms that chased others back to harbor, the boxer repeatedly floored but never knocked out. He used the beatings he suffered from Federer, Nadal and Djokovic -- losing 20 of the 25 times he played them at the majors -- as reasons to keep improving himself. He could have cursed his luck, been led astray by the mirage that in any other decade, hed have won more than two Wimbledon titles and the U.S. Open by now. But instead Murray just worked even harder, took better care of himself and made sure that when the opportunity finally came, he was ready to seize it.It would be tempting to delve into Murrays past for signposts that explain his ascent to the top.One could argue that cutting his tennis teeth in inhospitable Scottish weather more suited to golf, rugby or football maybe toughened him up. As kids, he and brother Jamie would hit a balloon back and forth over rope hung from a radiator at home.One could also fall into psycho-babble and hazard a guess that surviving the slaughter of 16 children and their teacher by a gunman at his Dunblane Primary School in 1996 helped teach Murray about deep emotional pain and how to rebound from it.Or one could point to the teen-aged Murray who badgered his parents to send him to a tennis academy in Spain as evidence that hes never lacked drive and the willingness to make sacrifices.But more simply, the top ranking is reward for his journey. A long journey, with multiple crossroads where Murray could have turned back and convinced himself that Mounts Federer, Nadal and Djokovic were simply too steep.Instead, he kept climbing.Not the most eloquent of speakers, at least not in public, one phrase of Murrays stands out, delivered after he lost to Federer in the 2012 Wimbledon final.Im going to try this, and its not going to be easy, Murray said, fighting back tears.Specifically, he was talking about how difficult it was to deliver his losers speech to the supportive Center Court crowd.But that philosophy -- not easy and try -- is Murray in a nutshell.---John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press. Write to him at jleicester(at)ap.org or follow him at http://twitter.com/johnleicester Nike Air Max Shop Australia . -- Catcher Brett Hayes has agreed to a $630,000, one-year contract with the Kansas City Royals, avoiding salary arbitration. Wholesale Air Max Australia . 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Tim Robin Johnsgard had the lone goal for Norway (0-2). CHICAGO -- When it comes to power plays in the Stanley Cup finals, the Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins might just prefer to keep going with everyone on the ice. The last two teams in the NHL playoffs have been lousy with the man advantage and terrific at killing penalties during the post-season. When the Blackhawks are forced to play a man down, Michael Frolik and Marcus Kruger are so persistent it almost resembles an even-strength situation. And the Bruins have hulking defenceman Zdeno Chara and goalie Tuukka Rask, who is swallowing everything at the net these days. Heading into Game 1 on Wednesday night, goals on special teams have been so scarce for these teams that a couple for either side could tip the series in one direction. "The special teams are kind of key, if you want to (have) success," Frolik said after Chicago held an optional practice on Monday. "We try to talk about it all the time about that and make sure were on the same page. Its especially going to be key right now. Weve got to make we are ready for the challenge." So far, so good on that front for the Bruins and Blackhawks. With Frolik and Kruger tying up the action on top of the zone, Chicago has allowed just three goals in 58 power-play opportunities for an astounding 94.8 per cent kill rate. Los Angeles got two of them in the Western Conference finals, but one was a meaningless goal by Tyler Toffoli at the very end of the Blackhawks 4-2 victory in Game 2. The 92.5 per cent finish for the 2000 New Jersey Devils is the best playoff rate for a Stanley Cup champion in the last 25 years, according to STATS. "I think they do a good job of fronting shots," Boston coach Claude Julien said of Chicagos penalty killers. "You really have to work hard to get the shots through. Thats what they are, theyre very patient; theyre very aggressive when you do lose, I guess, control of the puck and if they feel they can get on you, theyll get on you quick. Theyve done a good job that way." Pittsburgh had converted an NHL-best 28.3 per cent of its power-play chances heading into the Eastern Conference finaals against Boston, but the high-powered Penguins went 0 for 15 with the man advantage during the Bruins impressive four-game sweep.dddddddddddd One of the lasting images from Bostons post-season run came with Pittsburgh on the power play in the second period of Game 3. Bruins forward Gregory Campbell broke his right leg when he dove to block Evgeni Malkins hard shot, then limped around for more than 30 seconds until Boston cleared the zone and he was able to get off the ice. Campbells gutsy display served as inspiration for the Bruins, and they went on to finish off the Penguins with a 1-0 victory on Friday. But Campbell will miss the remainder of the playoffs, presenting a challenge for the series against Chicago. "It just means some other guys have to step in and do the job," Julien said. "(Campbell) is an elite penalty killer for us. Like anything else, when you lose a player like that it certainly hurts your team. But at the same time, theres also guys that come up and step up and do a great job just like our young Ds did when our three Ds were hurt." When it comes to scoring on Boston, whether its even strength or on the power play, the last line of defence may be the most difficult one to solve. Rask has been terrific throughout the playoffs, making an NHL-best 497 saves. Led by the 26-year-old Finn, Boston has yielded seven goals in 52 power-play opportunities for an 86.5 per cent kill rate in the post-season. "Were facing a goalie that in the last round was as good as any of the goalies weve seen over a segment of two years in the playoffs," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. While the penalty killing has been great for both sides, the power play for the Blackhawks and Bruins has been, well, powerless. Each team has seven goals with the man advantage in the playoffs. Boston had an NHL-worst 18 power-play goals during the regular season, compared to 25 for Chicago. Quenneville and Julien have faced a running stream of questions about the lack of production, and thats likely to continue in this series -- especially with the PK units on each side. ' ' '