The last time Andy and Jamie Murray played doubles together for Great Britain in Glasgow, four years ago, it culminated in one of those lachrymose moments that have come to characterise the achievements the younger sibling values the most.
As he burst into tears and hugged Jamie, we wondered why. It was, after all, only Luxembourg they had beaten to take a 2-1 lead in a one-sided Davis Cup tie – the part-timer Laurent Bram and the 18-year-old schoolboy Mike Vermeer succumbing quickly at the broiling Braehead Arena – but it was more than a tennis match for the Scottish brothers. This was the rounding of a long journey they had started together as young boys in Dunblane before their careers took starkly different paths.
Jamie, older by 15 months, was considered by some the better singles prospect when they began but he found his feet in doubles and was the first to win a slam title, the mixed at Wimbledon with Jelena Jankovic in 2007. Andy, however, has garlanded most of the attention since in a career of many highs and a few lows.
He enjoys playing with Jamie and, barring a change of heart or circumstance, they will be reunited on court for Great Britain in Glasgow on 6 March, this time in a bigger venue in a considerably tougher challenge against the belly-bumping Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, the middle-rubber stumbling block in a tie against the US that should prove to be enthralling.
On Tuesday Murray Jr tuned up for the 19th encounter between these oldest of Davis Cup rivals by beating, oddly enough, the Luxembourg stalwart Gilles Müller 6-4, 7-5 in the first round in Dubai – where the Briton next meets the talented Portuguese João Sousa – while his team-mate James Ward could not cope with the big game of Feliciano López, who won 6-4, 6-4.
Great Britain and the US played in the inaugural Davis Cup 115 years ago, the Americans leading 11-8 overall. If the possibly pivotal doubles match does happen, it will be the first between two sets of brothers since the World Group was established in 1982.
Leon Smith, the GB captain, who coached both Murray boys when they were teenagers, has picked the heavy-striking Dominic Inglot as back-up for Andy, if he is extended in his opening singles at the Emirates Arena, which holds 7,000, twice the capacity of Braehead, and has been sold out since the tie was announced in November.
Murray is in a considerably better place physically than when he gambled on playing the singles and doubles against Poland in Liverpool in 2009 with an injured wrist, and was out for the next six weeks. If he has the energy and inclination, he should click pleasingly with his left-handed brother, recalled to the team for the first time since that 2011 tie.
After a poor stretch – during which he collapsed from heatstroke at the Australian Open last year – Jamie has been in excellent form with his Australian partner, John Peers.
“I know from experience that the crowd will do a great job in getting behind the team,” Jamie said after the announcement of the team. “We’ll need every single one of them cheering for us as the Americans have an incredibly strong team, especially in the Bryan brothers, who are the world No1 pairing. That said, I played them at Queen’s and came away with the win and there is absolutely no reason that we can’t do the same again.”
With a variety of partners, Murray Sr has won 12 titles, most recently in January in Brisbane. Last week he and Peers made the Rotterdam final, where they lost to Andy’s sometime hitting partner Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau.
Smith said: “We’ve been able to choose our strongest possible team, spearheaded by Andy, who is significantly ahead of where he was 12 months ago. The tie [the first knockout tournament at this level in the UK since 2002] will be a huge deal for him personally as he returns to play in Scotland for the first time since winning Wimbledon in 2013.
“In James Ward we have somebody who has already proven himself against the US Davis Cup team and I’d back him again to put in another excellent performance after some consistent recent form has seen him on the verge of cracking the top 100 for the first time [Ward is ranked 108].
“I’ve selected our top two doubles players in Jamie and Dom, and again they’ve showed real consistency this year to earn their place in the team. As a group, all the guys deserve this opportunity.”
However, it is worth recalling Smith’s words during the Australian Open in January: “No offence to the doubles specialists but you probably want Andy to be part of the doubles team, as long as his match on Friday doesn’t go too long.”
That is the key. If he is fit, British hopes will rest again with Murray, restored to No3 in the world on Monday for the first time in 16 months after a rare defeat on clay for Rafael Nadal in Rio de Janeiro.
The US, captained by Jim Courier, have picked the world No20 John Isner and No45 Donald Young to help the Bryan brothers.
Ward, who has been hovering around the top 100 for a while, said: “I’m really excited to have been selected. We have this great team spirit and it always brings out the best in us. I’m hoping I’ll be able to enjoy a repeat performance of my match last year [when he beat Sam Querrey to clinch the tie in San Diego].
“I have no doubt it will be a great tie. We’ve played in Glasgow a few times and the fans there always support us well but this is an entirely different level now we’re in the World Group.”
Kyle Edmund is the travelling reserve.
