Murray brothers save the day at Davis Cup

Jamie stands tall as his brilliance on doubles court inspires victory over Argentina. By Kevin Ferrie

IT felt like an unnecessary gamble for Argentina, playing Juan Martin del Potro. After Friday’s shared personal best with Andy Murray, the longest match either has ever played, all logic suggested Del Potro was his team’s banker in singles against either Dan Evans or Kyle Edmund and consequently need not risk take any more out of himself in the interim.

The outcome of that opening tie meant he and his captain Daniel Orsanic faced a very different decision from that of their rivals who knew that if Britain’s No 1 could get his physically and emotionally over-extended body out of bed on not only the day after that defeat, but also after missing his grandfather’s funeral, he must find a way of dragging it on to the arena.

Jamie Murray, the US Open doubles champion and recent world doubles No 1, and Dom Inglot or Dan Evans could probably have kept the tie alive as a proven partnership, but the younger Murray had to be seen to lead his team’s attempt to fight their way back into it after they had gone 2-0 down. The explanation for del Potro’s involvement perhaps owed something to the machismo sporting culture in which he was reared.

Andy Murray’s involvement all but demanded that of the main man from the homeland of rugby Pumas such as Freddie Mendez, Mario Ledesma, Juan-Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Felipe Contepomi who loved to mix it and would never want to be seen taking a backward step, a description which also fits footballing compatriots Diegos Maradona and Simeone.

Since a certain recklessness of approach might also be associated with most of those men that, in turn, offered an extra element of hope to the home team and their supporters.

The more the Murray boys could take out of the first day’s hero the better since, given that Evans had earned a match point when taking US Open champion and world No 4 Stan Wawrinka to five sets on his way to that title this month, he would surely have a real chance of going one better when fully fresh against “Delpo”.

While he spoke afterwards of enjoying a rare opportunity to confront one of the world’s best players, there was, meanwhile, a sense that Jamie Murray really had to be the big brother on this occasion, helping his younger sibling negotiate the toughest patch of his wondrous year and he duly bounded on to court displaying real excitement at the prospect.

Toss won, he opted to serve first and in about as long as it took Andy to win his opening service game, both had held serve and broken that of Leonardo Mayer, producing some delightful touch play at the net along the way.

When, after a couple of deuces, Del Potro’s serve was then also broken, the energy in the room that had dissipated towards the end of nine hours of opening day action was back, the Stirling Uni “barmy army” and the majority in attendance roaring their approval.

After Mayer finally got his country on the scoreboard, both Murrays held to wrap up the set in less than half an hour, prompting a chorus of The Proclaimers’ 500 miles, a decent enough choice given the schedule they have faced of late, albeit there was no suggestion of either being ready to fall down anywhere.

Even so they are the Murray brothers, Hibernian supporters like the Reids who rarely do anything the easy way and after Del Potro muscled his way to an opening-game hold to start the second set, Andy’s serve was broken, a couple of double faults contributing as the visitors raced into a 3-0 lead.

Up stepped Jamie, the only man yet to have his serve broken and he held as he would throughout. That was not sufficient to turn the second set around, but, tellingly, the Murray brothers opted to change serving ends to let Jamie open things up at the start of the third and did so again, equally successfully, at the beginning of what proved the decisive fourth.

Jamie winners would take it to 0-30 then 0-40 on Mayer’s serve and while Andy’s volley ultimately wrapped it up there was no question who had asserted himself most this time around.

What this had taken out of Del Potro, who looked to have moved into energy conservation mode before the end, remains to be seen.

However, while the Argentine and his previous day’s singles opponent had demonstrated their courage, it was Jamie Murray whose strength on a doubles court had done most to reinvigorate the British challenge.