However, Goffin carried the momentum from his comeback win over Kyle Edmund on Friday into the match and for two and a half sets it was an extremely tight and tense affair. Murray was never going to let them down and, if he had played with any more authority in his decisive victory over David Goffin in the third singles rubber, they would have had to put him in charge of security at Ghent’s Flanders Expo.
Advertisement
Goffin conceded and then gamely defended set points as the scoreboard ticked over.
Listed at 5-foot-11, 150 pounds, the wiry Goffin gives up 35 pounds and substantial reach to the 6-foot-3 Murray.
His patriotism was obvious as he joined in the British nation’s celebrations by winning the gold medal in the singles competition at the Olympics of 2012, clearly inspired and emotionally charged in the moment as many around the nation were.
Goffin was not initially scheduled to feature in yesterday’s doubles, yet Van Herck, wary of leaving the tie in the hands of Murray, eventually opted to nominate him ahead of former French Open junior champion Kimmer Coppejans in order to have his two most accomplished singles players in action at the same time.
Andy Murray has helped guide Great Britain to victory in the Davis Cup – the first time GB has won the tennis title for 79 years.
Edmund, meanwhile, came up short in his bid to become the first player to win a live rubber while making his debut in the competition in the final. Whether in New York, London, or at the edge of Belgium’s third-largest city, Murray is doing what he can to delete that phrase, “not since Perry in 1936” from the lexicon of British tennis. “It will be a historic thing if he can bring the Davis Cup to Great Britain”. There they would have played the likes of Andorra, San Marino and Iceland.
If they were unaware of Murray’s defensive skills they soon were, the Scot scoring with a sensational pass from a defensive position which left his opponent floundering at the net and moved the score on to 5-2.
This reflected a nervousness from lesser-experienced Goffin, and a determination from the Scot – whose main goal of this season has been victory at the Davis Cup. Team captain Leon Smith gave an articulate and nicely judged speech thanking the crowd – who were ear-splittingly loud but mostly fair – and looking forward to the start of the title defence in Birmingham next March.
Murray won all three of his matches in Ghent this weekend and was the big difference between the two sides.
An incredible stretching cross-court forehand put Murray 5-2 to the good and, after Goffin saved three set points on his own serve, Murray easily held to wrap up the opener.
“On a clay court I have some weapons to play a good match”, said Goffin, who has played nine sets in two days. “It’s huge for me”, said Jamie. But Murray wasn’t about to be pulled off his orbit.
World No 2 Murray has now won all 11 rubbers he has played in – eight singles and three doubles – after Britain powered past heavyweights United States, France and Australia before seeing off upstarts Belgium en route to glory.
Advertisement
Murray is too decent a person to take all the plaudits and he was quick to pay tribute to his team-mates, the support staff and Smith, the captain who took over when Britain’s Davis Cup was at its lowest ebb five years ago.
