Davis Cup 2016: Andy Murray admits ‘we want to try and do it again’

It has already been some year for the world No2, Andy Murray.

After becoming a father for the first time just days after reaching the final of the Australian Open, the Briton has put together arguably one of the best seasons of his career. Indeed as he prepared for Great Britain’s semi-final Davis Cup tie against Argentina this weekend, he removed any doubt: “Been the best year of my career so far, and I hope I can keep it going.”

True, the Briton who broke records right, left and centre last year on the way to his nation’s Davis Cup title victory, lost in the third rounds at Indian Wells and Miami after the birth of his daughter this spring. But he went on to make the final in Madrid, won Rome, and capped the clay season with a first-ever final finish at Roland Garros.

After that, he went on a 26-1 run, claiming the Queen’s title, a second Wimbledon title, and a second gold medal at the Olympics. He finally lost a match—in the final of the Cincinnati Masters.

He even travelled to Serbia between the grass of SW19 and the hard courts of Rio, not to play in the Davis Cup quarter-final but to practise with his team-mates and cheer them on from the sidelines.

Surely, after making the quarters of the US Open last week, he was exhausted. Well if he was, it was not going to stop him returning to the site of last year’s semi-final victory over Australia, the Emirates Arena in Glasgow.

“Took a good few days off after New York, and then came here, and I’ve been practising since Sunday. Get a little break after I finish here, so one more big push this year.”

Though he is, he neglected to add, playing the first in a series of fundraisers he has set up at Glasgow’s SEE Hydro next week in aid of a local children’s charity and Unicef.

Before that, though, could lay two singles rubbers plus one doubles with his brother, Jamie Murray: three days, three best-of-five matches.

After his extraordinary efforts in leading GB to Davis Cup victory last year, and his outstanding season on the professional tour this season, was this inter-nation competition still a priority? His was a thoughtful and considered response.

“I think at the end of last year, Davis Cup for all of us was a priority. I don’t think at the beginning of the year, we expected to win the event, but as the year went on, as we got closer and closer, you want to make the most of the opportunity.

“So we want to try and do it again this year if possible. It’s going to be hard, but I want to try and win all the events that I play—but some goals are bigger than others, some things if you achieve them feel better than others, and some losses hurt more than others. Sometimes you don’t always know how you feel inside until a loss happens or a win happens.

“These next few months I want to try and finish the year as strong as possible.”

Murray has already qualified for the World Tour Finals in London, but his run this year has raised the possibility of the ultimate achievement. He has begun to close what was a vast gap in ranking points between Novak Djokovic and ‘the rest’. For since winning the French Open, the world No1 has struggled with his form—partly from personal troubles, partly from the impact of so much tennis, partly from the pressure to complete the Grand Slam set.

And that has given Murray a chance to gain ground, though it is a big ask to catch his rival—and the man who has dogged his chances in so many Majors—by the end of the year. But at least now the No1 ranking has become a realistic proposition, so Murray wants to keep up the pressure for the rest of this demanding year.

There are, of course, no points for Davis Cup wins, but as he inferred, the support network in the GB squad has changed this time around. As little as a year ago, Dan Evans was outside the top 300: Now he is at a career-high of 53 with the scalp of Alexander Zverev plus a match-point against eventual champion Stan Wawrinka to his credit from the US Open.

This time last year, 21-year-old Kyle Edmund hovered around the 100 mark: Now he too is at a career high of 55 having beaten Richard Gasquet and John Isner to reach the fourth round of a Major for the first time in New York. He also led Team GB into this semi-final with his two singles wins in Serbia in July.

And all that without the presence of US Open doubles champion Jamie Murray.

Team captain Leon Smith summed it up.

“It helps to have a lot of choice. Over the last 5-6 years there have been situations where we’ve won rubbers that upset rankings, and we can’t keep relying on that. We’ve been very fortunate that the guys have had some really good wins, great performances, but no doubt that it’s better to be in the situation now where we’ve got a strong team, everyone pushing for places and playing well.

“We have a great team, and the more ties we play—we get on great, we respect each other a lot, it’s very healthy what we have now—it’s way, way better. So whoever goes out will be supported whoever is on the bench.”

Argentina brings a similarly deep squad. It is headed by Juan Martin del Potro who, though ranked 64 after years of injury and surgery, is a Grand Slam champion on the road back to his very best—witness the Olympics and his victory over Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, before pushing Murray hard in the gold-medal match. He, like Murray, also made the quarters of the US Open.

But the big Argentine is ably backed by No41 Federico Delbonis and No49 Guido Pella, plus a man who was No21 a year ago before his own injury problems, Leonardo Mayer.

Naturally, Murray relishes a rematch of the Rio final against del Potro—though whether that comes on the first day or the third remains to be seen.

“He’s one of the best players in the world when he’s fit and healthy. Played really well over the last couple of months. Had a good run in New York… great all-round striker. And doesn’t mind playing indoors, so conditions will be fine for him as well.”

The Argentina men have one extra incentive to do well in Glasgow. Their nation has been a member of the Davis Cup family for 93 years, but despite reaching four finals, it has never won the title. But as Murray stressed:

“It’s always an advantage to have the crowd behind you. That’s one of the things you enjoy about Davis Cup. You don’t get to play in those sorts of atmospheres the rest of year.”

The fun begins Friday—and it should be a cracker.