A tearful Andy Murray dedicated his Davis Cup win to his grandmother after saying in his post-match interview that it was her funeral that day and he had missed it to play in the tournament.
“Today is a tough day for me,” Murray began saying before he was overcome with emotion and the crowd began cheering him on in encouragement.
“It’s my Gran’s funeral today,” he managed to say before stopping again and apologizing. “I’m sorry to my family that I’m not able to be there but Gran, that one is for you.”
Murray’s 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 6-4 comeback victory over Leandro Riedi gave Great Britain a 1-0 lead in the tie against Switzerland before the doubles pairing of Dan Evans and Neal Skupsi won their match to complete a 2-1 victory for the Britons.
“I spoke to my dad about it and he said ‘she’d want you to play’. He said ‘make sure you win’ – so I did,” Murray added, according to the BBC.
The former world No. 1 completed his victory with an ace and recorded his 33rd Davis Cup singles win, a tournament he won with Great Britain in 2015.
He had led Riedi 5-2 in the first set, before spurning two set points at 5-3 and another two in the tiebreak, but he recovered from losing the first set in this manner to give Great Britain a winning start in the tie.
“Incredible to get through that one. It easily could have gone the other way,” Murray said afterwards, according to the ATP. “It was ridiculous, the shots he was pulling off. Amazing returning. I kept fighting, managed to stay focused and managed to turn it around.”
The win puts Great Britain top of Group B after two matches in the group stage and in a strong position as it seeks to reach the Final Eight.