Andy Murray delighted to come through tough Davis Cup match
Monday 7 March 2016 12:56, UK
Andy Murray reflected with pride on one of the toughest performances of his career as he helped Great Britain to another memorable Davis Cup victory.
His five-set win over Japanese No 1 Kei Nishikori lasted four hours and 54 minutes taking its physical toll on the Brit, who had not played for five weeks since becoming a father for the first time.
Murray won the first two sets but faced losing from that position for the first time in 11 years, only to grind out a 7-5 7-6 3-6 4-6 6-3 victory at Birmingham's Barclaycard Arena.
That secured an unassailable 3-1 first-round win for Britain, with Murray winning all three points for the fourth straight tie as he sets his sights on a successful title defence.
"I do think it was a really good effort to come through that, after going down a break at the beginning of the fifth, and how I was feeling physically as well," said Murray.
"I thought I did really well to win that fifth set, with everything that has gone on over the last few weeks and over the weekend."
The match was the joint longest Murray has ever played, along with his US Open final victory over Djokovic in 2012, and he added: "My body is very sore just now.
"I have put myself through a lot this weekend. I have volunteered for all three days and I really, really wanted to win today.
"I maybe wanted to win too much. I was getting frustrated when I wasn't taking opportunities I should have. I deeply cared about today's match and I expect that will stay the same throughout the rounds."
Defeat was tough on Nishikori, who had expected Murray's fifth-set revival but said he could not counter it.
"I knew he would come back. He always acts like that. I was ready to fight again in the fifth set," he said.
"I was fine body-wise and he was not going to give up in such an important match. I tried to focus but he was a better player in the fifth set."
Captain Leon Smith was left in awe of Murray's efforts, saying: "I'm pretty much lost for words. He's just a man of steel.
"It's quite astonishing considering Andy hasn't played since the Australian Open final. He's amazing. It's an absolute privilege to sit with him for a match like that and we'll remember that one for a very long time."
