Andy Murray gives Britain Davis Cup title after 79 years

After teaming with brother Jamie to win the doubles on Saturday, he is the first player since Pete Sampras in 1995 to win three live matches in a Davis Cup final.

The latest figures were more encouraging but the relatively narrow base is widely seen as the main reason why Britain’s strength in depth at the top of the game is so poor.

Smith said: “The most important thing is to enjoy this, it’s been an very bad long time since Britain has won it so we should make sure we spend time together as a team and talk about all our stories”. I do hope so, as now, more than ever, he certainly deserves recognition.

Murray also admitted that since Michael Downey’s appointment as LTA chief executive in 2013, he had only spoken to him for 10 minutes.

‘And had I got through the fifth set of my semi-final with Novak Djokovic, I would have had an opportunity to win the French Open, so I’m not that far off on the clay.

Speaking about their post-win celebrations, Murray said: “We all stayed in the hotel and our friends and family came round, and a lot of the fans were staying in the hotel or nearby so they were in the bar area and we chatted and spent a bit of time with them, so it was really nice”.

“I don’t know where the next generation are”, he told reporters. “I feel like I am saying “I don’t know” a lot but I genuinely don’t know”.

“Then we will head towards that March period”.

There have now been calls for the Scot – again a leading contender for BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award – to be knighted for services to British tennis. “Our team gets to come back to a home tie in Birmingham and that’s going to be the time when we really want to see the activation hit a high level”.

“What he’s managed to do for the team is astonishing”, Britain’s captain Leon Smith said.

Andy Murray gave Britain its first Davis Cup title in 79 years when he beat Belgium’s David Goffin 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 in the first of reverse singles Sunday.

“You want to have the best possible practice and training to prepare for the biggest events and we don’t have that anymore”. I really like the conditions, the courts.

“We need to offer them good clubs and good coaches that turn up in all weather and bang out great sessions”. Behind closed doors a number of top cops have been honest enough to admit to me there are still many ways the Metropolitan Police could save serious lumps of cash if the powersthatbe were only prepared to update the force’s thinking to the modern day.

“We used to have junior No.1s, and juniors competing for Grand Slams on the guys’ and the girls’ side”.