It was a victory 79 years in the making, a triumph born of talent, tenacity and a refusal to be cowed either by a raucously partisan Belgian crowd or the lingering threat of terrorism. However, as the red dust settles on Great Britain’s first Davis Cup win since Fred Perry and Bunny Austin spearheaded victory over Australia in 1936, what does it mean for British tennis?
To anyone who has followed the largely desperate fortunes of the British Davis Cup team since 1978, when a home contingent led by John Lloyd and Buster Mottram was beaten 4-1 by John McEnroe’s USA in the final, it means everything.
The wonderful topspin lob that Andy Murray hoisted beyond the reach of David Goffin to clinch the decisive rubber was beyond cathartic. It was a shot to expunge the memory of crushing defeats by the likes of Lithuania and Slovakia, to dispel once and for all the bitter aftertaste of Europe/Africa Zone Group II relegation play-offs, the threat of relegation to the lowest tier of the competition, the sense that the nation that gave the world Wimbledon was becoming an international laughing stock.
Whether the victory will have a more lasting significance is a moot point. The British tennis establishment will rightly revel in the moment, yet it would also do well to remember that the outcome was shaped by one man’s ability to win three matches over the course of three successive days. Since 2012, when he became the first British man to win the US Open since 1936, Murray has ended a 77-year wait for a British men’s singles champion at Wimbledon and secured the country’s first Olympic gold medal in men’s tennis since Josiah Ritchie in 1908. Clearly talent of that magnitude doesn’t come around often.
So lightly does Murray carry the weight of history that you half expected him to hoist the 105kg trophy and parade it around the Flanders Expo single-handedly. Britain’s linchpin is far too grounded for that, of course, although there was no avoiding the individual acclaim when his team-mates held him aloft in the jubilant aftermath of victory.
Despite a heroic effort from Kyle Edmund on day one and a performance that grew in authority from Jamie Murray in the doubles, Murray’s insistence that it was a collective endeavour failed to persuade. If it was a team effort, it was a singularly individual one.
That is not to overlook the inspired captaincy of Leon Smith, who inherited the British team when it was at its lowest ebb and now presides over world champions. It is not to deny the contribution of the other players involved in Britain’s return to the World Group, or to ignore the outstanding team ethic of James Ward, who cheered on his team-mates with gusto from the sidelines despite the desperate disappointment of missing out.
Rather, it is simply to acknowledge that it was Murray, a player schooled largely outside the British system, who made it all possible. The Scot won each of his eight singles matches in this year’s competition – a record matched only by John McEnroe and Mats Wilander – and was also undefeated in three outings alongside his brother. He is the first player to win 11 live rubbers in a Davis Cup season and remain unbeaten, a feat that will be nigh on impossible to emulate.
Luminaries of British tennis were nonetheless quick to suggest that the victory could inspire the next generation of players. “Let’s learn from this and take the game out and be proud,” enthused Andrew Castle, the former British player, in the moments after the final ball had been struck. “We have to use this to inspire people to play tennis,” added Lloyd, his BBC colleague.
Greg Rusedski, the former British No1, offered a more circumspect appraisal. “There needs to be more done to take advantage of these golden times,” he wrote in the Telegraph. “We have had a period in British tennis where one guy has done phenomenal things year in and year out. The Lawn Tennis Association has an even greater opportunity now to really grow the game.”
The idea that Murray’s profile and success can drive the British game forward is not new but the LTA has so far failed dismally to harness the Scot’s cachet. Roger Draper, the former chief executive of the organisation, believed Murray could have what he called a “pied piper effect”, with a Wimbledon win inspiring the next generation of players to follow in his footsteps. He was wrong. Murray kept his end of the deal but neither Draper nor his Canadian successor, Michael Downey, found a way to capitalise.
In fact, as Downey acknowledged earlier this year, the sport is in decline domestically. Sport England’s annual active people survey showed a drop in monthly participation of nearly a third since 2008-9, when nearly a million people picked up a racket at least a dozen times a year. Across the same period, the weekly participation figure fell from 530,000 to 384,000, while there was a 9% decline in the all-important 16-25 age group.
Encouragingly, Downey has shown a willingness to get back to basics. Whereas Draper sought to build from the top down, the Canadian favours a grassroots approach, with the emphasis on parks tennis and support for local clubs and schools. We have been here before, of course. From 1999 to 2003, the Frenchman Patrice Hagelauer sought to nurture young talent in his capacity as national performance director, only to quit the role following an apathetic response at club level.
Hopefully, Davis Cup success will buy Downey the time and support necessary to effect a more permanent culture change in the British game. He spoke after the win of “very special and emotional moments that can drive interest in our sport”. Now the Canadian must respond to Murray’s post-match rallying cry and reap the benefit.
Beyond that, though, the greatest British legacy of the victory in Ghent may turn out to be no less individual than the manner of its achievement. Having led Serbia to a first Davis Cup triumph in Belgrade five years ago, Novak Djokovic went on to win three of the four majors the following year. He has barely looked backed since. Murray has already expressed hope that he might emulate Djokovic in using Davis Cup success as a spur to further accomplishment. If he does, it will be another vicarious triumph for the British game.
