Fitness problems fail to stop Murray from leading Britain to opening Davis Cup win

ANDY MURRAY admitted he is not as fit as he should be after performing his latest act of escapology in Great Britain’s gruelling Davis Cup victory over the Netherlands in Madrid.

Murray’s 6-7 (7) 6-4 7-6 (5) win against 179th-ranked Tallon Griekspoor was the sort of comeback for which he has become famous.

Murray was 4-1 down in the deciding set and then in the same position in the tie-break but conjured up some remarkable defence to claw his way to victory in front of an enthusiastic Spanish crowd.

Dan Evans was beaten 3-6 7-6 (5) 6-4 by Robin Haase in the second rubber but Jamie Murray and debutant Neal Skupski won the tie, which lasted close to nine hours, with a 6-4 7-6 (6) victory over Wesley Koolhof and Jean-Julien Rojer in the deciding doubles.

Victory over Kazakhstan on Thursday would put Britain through to the quarter-finals in the new-look competition, but whether Andy Murray plays any part remains to be seen. Griekspoor, 23, played well above his ranking but Murray was sluggish throughout, the sharp movement that was evident in his brilliant title victory in Antwerp a month ago sorely lacking.

The Scot admitted last week that he had put on a few pounds in the weeks since as the arrival of his son Teddy took his focus away from the court.

“I told you guys I wasn’t feeling in the best shape coming in, and it showed a little bit in the match,” he said.

“The weight and things like that, that’s my fault. I won’t put myself in that position again,” he added.

“If you’re weighing four or five kilos more than you’re used to, that is probably going to affect how you feel moving around the court.”

Murray looked exhausted at the end, while he also appeared to be struggling with a cold, so there is every chance that Yorkshire’s Kyle Edmund will play on Thursday instead.