Captain Leon Smith also praised for such meticulous planning
Tuesday 1 December 2015 07:43, UK
Andy Murray deserves a knighthood for his heroics in this year's Davis Cup run, says Annabel Croft.
Murray, who enjoyed one of the most consistent seasons of his career, clinched the point Great Britain needed to beat Belgium in the final on Sunday at a deafening Flanders Expo in Ghent with a 6-3 7-5 6-3 victory over David Goffin.
Afterwards, the 28-year-old described the achievement of winning Britain's first Davis Cup for 79 years as the most emotional of his career.
Of the 12 rubbers Britain won en route to their first title for 79 years, a run that included wins over the heavyweights the United States, France and Australia, Murray featured in all but one of them.
And tennis expert Croft feels one man is primarily to thank.
"I'm sure there are a few sore heads, but I think they're probably all trying to take in the enormity of what they've just achieved," she said.
"I mean it's just huge. For me, having personally covered tennis for so many years, there are so many landmark matches and events that are huge in my mind - Andy Murray winning Wimbledon and Olympic gold - but this is right up there.
"I don't think anybody anywhere would have believed that this was a possibility and it's a fantastic achievement.
"He [Andy Murray] deserves a knighthood. I think they will all get some sort of honour for being a part of that team, but I think that was high up on the list for Andy.
"He has been spearheading that team and it's outstanding how much pressure he copes with and how it makes him more motivated, more hungry and more passionate.
"He's so headstrong it's almost like this wall of steel and nothing was going to penetrate it. He gets into that frame of mind. You knew just from the warm-up that nothing was going to get him off that court until he'd won."
Other players have contributed, not least James Ward, Dan Evans and a number of doubles players in helping Britain get back to the World Group, while Ward and Jamie Murray, alongside his brother in doubles, have also posted wins this year.
Croft has singled out Ward after he produced one of the wins of his career by taking down John Isner, recovering from a two-set deficit to win 15-13 in the final set as Britain beat the USA in the first round back in March.
"So much of it has been centred around Andy, but one of the most notable victories along the way was James Ward beating John Isner because had James not beaten John Isner, we might have lost to America.
"Looking back, that was a very significant win. That to me stands out in my mind."
Captain Leon Smith, who helped coach Murray between the years of 11 and 15, was also praised by Croft for the way he has turned around the team's fortunes.
He took over as British national coach in 2010 when the team were facing relegation into the fourth and lowest level of the Davis Cup.
They survived a play-off match against Turkey and so began one of the most impressive revivals in team sport in recent times which culminated in Sunday's success.
"I just admire Leon Smith [with] the way he has brought the team together and the camaraderie he's achieved within the team," she said.
"It's just created such a wonderful team spirit and also he's been so meticulous in his planning of every tie. It's been very inspired choices every time - he hasn't got it wrong.
"He's never used the same team every time, he changed it according to what the surface was and what the situation was, and he got it right.
"He does an enormous amount of planning on the opposition, so much that they leave no stone unturned in terms of how tactically to play them.
"It's really admirable what they've achieved and it's a measure of detailed planning, preparation and professionalism that just shows what you can achieve when you put the hard work in."
