‘THAT’S THE MOST EMOTIONAL I’VE EVER BEEN’

ANDY MURRAY ended the historic Davis Cup campaign being hoisted high by his team-mates and later spoke of the moment as being even more poignant than winning Wimbledon. ‘I probably haven’t been as emotional as that after a match that I’ve won,’ he said after clinching the winning point. ‘I’ve been pretty upset having lost matches before but I’d say that’s probably the most emotional I’ve been after a win. ‘It’s incredible that we managed to win this competition. I didn’t know that would ever be possible. The rest of the year when you’re playing, you don’t get atmospheres like that in any event that we play, except during Davis Cup. That’s what happens when you get your country involved, people become more passionate. ‘We’ll all remember this year for the rest of our lives, regardless of what happens in the rest of any of our careers. Nothing may ever top this now, although hopefully we can win it again next year or we can go on to win Grand Slams and Wimbledon or Olympics and stuff.’ Murray is set to play in next year’s first round against Japan in Birmingham, but if that is won he is far from assured of playing the quarter-final after Wimbledon, especially with fatherhood and the defence of his Olympic title looming a few weeks later. Winning the Davis Cup was part

of a notable weekend for British sport and Murray stayed up late on Saturday night to see Tyson Fury win his heavyweight title. ‘I always get a bit nervous watching boxing, especially watching heavyweights,’ he said. ‘It probably wasn’t the smartest thing for me to do last night. ‘I’m obviously happy to be part of a great weekend of sport but I didn’t need any inspiration this weekend. I didn’t need that from a boxer or anything else. I think that’s the case for all of the team,’ said Murray, who joked that all his colleagues deserved knighthoods. While Murray’s future in the Davis Cup is clouded by other commitments, captain Leon Smith (left) is yet to negotiate an extension to his deal with the Lawn Tennis Association. Chief executive Michael Downey described him as ‘the best Davis Cup captain in the world’. Smith hailed Murray’s contribution: ‘It has to be one of the best achievements of all time. It’s incredible for all of us to watch how he’s managed to win that many rubbers, especially when you look back at the ties against France and Australia. Despite fatigue he manages to find a way through. ‘He’ll be the first to say that this is a team effort and rightly so, but what he’s managed to do for this team is astonishing. He’s put his whole body on the line every single time for the team. We’re all grateful and proud of him. ‘We’ll just soak up the next couple of days as a team together, really enjoy it, then we’ll see what happens after that.’