Andy Murray’s return to Davis Cup action helped Great Britain get their campaign off to the perfect start with a 2-1 win over the Netherlands.
Murray came from a set down to beat Tallon Griekspoor in the opening singles rubber, before brother Jamie and Neal Skupski eventually earned victory in the decisive doubles match, after Dan Evans had been beaten by Robin Hasse to level the scores.
In the competition’s new-look format, which sees all matches played at a single Finals event in Madrid, Britain are in a round-robin group with the Dutch and Kazakhstan, with only the winners guaranteed to progress to the knockout phase.
Unlike traditional Davis Cup ties, which were played as best-of-five contests, matches consist of two singles and one doubles rubber.
Murray, who was part of the side that won the tournament in its old format in 2015, last played in the Davis Cup in the semi-final defeat to Argentina the following season.
After losing the first set 7-6, the Scot bounced back, taking the second 6-4, and then somehow game from 4-1 down in the third, and 4-1 down in the crucial tiebreak to earn the point.
"I wasn't feeling in the best shape coming in, and it showed a little bit in the match," Murray said. "It is about finding a way to win, and I did that today. And I'm proud of myself because it would have been easy to have lost that."
