Tennis star backs split as Scottish vote opens

Scottish tennis star Andy Murray broke his silence over the independence referendum by appearing to lend last-minute support to the “Yes” campaign as polling began.

“Huge day for Scotland today! No campaign negativity last few days totally swayed my view on it. Excited to see the outcome. Let’s do this!” Murray wrote in a message to his 2.71 million followers on Twitter.

The last exclamation echoed the one used by pro-independence leader Alex Salmond in a fiery final campaign speech in Perth on Wednesday before polls for the historic vote opened on Thursday.

“Don’t let them tell us we can’t. Let’s do this now,” Mr Salmond said.

Murray’s message was re-tweeted over 14,000 times, including by Mr Salmond himself, and became a top story on British media sites.

Glasgow-born Murray, 27, who is Britain’s number one tennis player and won Wimbledon last year, does not live in Scotland and therefore cannot vote himself.

He divides his time between his house in Surrey, southeast England, and the United States.

But as one of Britain’s most high-profile athletes, his apparent support for the “Yes” campaign is a boon for those who want Scotland to end its 307-year union with the United Kingdom.

Mr Murray had previously been reluctant to back either side in the independence debate.

Meanwhile, in queues snaking outside polling stations, voters spoke emotionally about the momentous choice they were faced with.

“It’s an important day. This is a decision which lasts forever, which will impact my children,” said Charlotte Farish, 34, who turned out early in Edinburgh with her two children before taking them to school and heading into work.

In Glasgow, 23-year-old Aidan Ford said: “I felt different today than in most of the previous votes. I might be making a difference and my vote counts.”

Some 97 per cent of eligible Scots — nearly 4.3 million people — have registered to vote, underscoring the passions that the historic decision has ignited across the nation.

After months when it looked like the independence camp could not win, a surge in support in the final two weeks has left pollsters warning the outcome is too close to call.

British Prime Minister David Cameron has pleaded with Scots to vote in favour of keeping “our home” and has warned the break-up would be a “painful divorce” full of economic risks. If Scots vote “Yes”, it would end a union dating back to 1707, could force Cameron to resign and might raise serious questions about Britain’s status on the international stage.

Financial markets have been volatile for days on uncertainty over the outcome, which is being watched closely around the world.

The force of the “Yes” campaign has encouraged separatist movements, such as Catalans in Spain, while a number of Britain’s allies have urged the Scots not to leave.

“I hope it remains strong, robust and united,” US President Barack Obama said in a tweet from his official account.