Andy Murray hopes to make new daughter 'proud' ahead of Davis Cup tie against Japan

Andy Murray admits he wants to make his new daughter "proud" as he returns to action for Great Britain in the Davis Cup.

The British No 1 played a leading role in last year's triumphant Davis Cup campaign, culminating in a final win over Belgium in November, the first since 1936.

On Friday, the defending champions will take on Japan in the first round, and Murray has made himself available to GB skipper Leon Smith following the birth of his first child earlier this month.

Novak Djokovic, the dominant world No 1, has admitted that fatherhood has given him added motivation and two-time Grand Slam winner Murray has suggested he could be spurred on to achieve more success.

The outcome of a match is not everything but I want my daughter to be proud of her dad when she grows up and sees what I did.

Murray told The Guardian: "For other players, it hasn't worked out as well. But fatherhood is a positive thing - and tennis not being your priority can help. It lends perspective when you have a bad loss or bad practice.

"The outcome of a match is not everything but I want my daughter to be proud of her dad when she grows up and sees what I did. I hope it works out in a positive way on the court but if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world."

The world No 2 has not played a competitive match since losing the Australian Open final to Novak Djokovic in January.

Murray is relishing the challenge of representing Britain again, but is wary of the threat posed by Japan, who include world No 6 Kei Nishikori.  

"No. I always wanted to play providing everything went well with Kim and the baby. It's going to be a tough tie. Last year, the toughest team we played was France and they didn't have anyone ranked as high as Nishikori. He's capable of winning two singles."

Despite nine defeats to Djokovic in their last 10 matches, Murray is reading little into this daunting record and the pair could go head-to-head in next month's hardcourt tournament in Indian Wells, live on Sky Sports.

"I don't look as much into that as everyone else," said Murray. "Look at Stan Wawrinka, winning his second slam (the French Open) against Novak. He'd lost to him 13 times in a row. I don't think he'd ever beaten Rafael Nadal when Stan won Australia in 2014.

"Each time you step on to the court, it's a completely new match. The reason Novak's beaten me a lot recently is that he's been the better player. But if I play him tomorrow, it's a bit like roulette.

"People think there have been five reds in a row. It's got to be black next time - but the roulette wheel doesn't know what's happened before."