An emotional Andy Murray successfully defended his Brisbane International tennis title and then dedicated the win to an ill friend.
Speaking on court after his 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 victory over Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, a tearful Murray said: “I’d like to dedicate this victory to one of my best friends. He’s back home watching and you’re going to get through it.”
It is understood the Scot was talking about fellow British Davis Cup player Ross Hutchins, a long-time friend who revealed at the weekend that he is suffering from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a form of cancer.
The 27-year-old doubles specialist broke the news on Twitter, saying: “Happy New Year to all! Unfortunately I will be away from tennis for a while as I was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“I am doing well, very positive with excellent medical support, friends and family around me. Looking forward to being back on the court soon!”
Messages of support flooded in for Hutchins, including from Lawn Tennis Association chief executive Roger Draper and Murray’s former coach Brad Gilbert.
US Open champion Murray was the top seed in Brisbane and retained his crown over first-time ATP World Tour finalist Dimitrov, fighting back from an early break and saving a set point in the opener.
At 21, Dimitrov is the youngest player in the world’s top 50, and Murray praised the performance of the highly-rated talent.
“It’s his first final,” Murray said. “Everyone will agree he played some extremely exciting tennis, it was a very tough match.
“He’s just changed coaches, started with a new team, so congratulations to them I’m sure they’re going to do great things together.”
Murray’s title comes just over a week before the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne.