Andy Murray celebrated his first grass court triumph for seven years - then admitted it was a day he feared would never come.
The two-time Wimbledon champion overcame a three-hour rain delay to claim the Surbiton Trophy, beating Austria’s Jurij Rodionov 6-3 6-2.
Hailing it as the “perfect” start to his SW19 build-up, Murray dedicated the win to his four children who came to watch only to miss the finish when the weather turned.
“My kids always ask me when I go away if I will come home with a trophy," said the Scot. "It's been rare these last few years!”
“They actually came here two minutes before the rain, but my wife took them home so they missed the end. Sophia, Edie, Teddy, Lola, hope you’re watching on TV. I’m bringing home a trophy.”
Not since winning the second of his two Wimbledon titles in 2016 had Murray won on grass. Laid low by a serious hip problem, a doctor told him in 2017 he would never play again.
“I did wonder if I’d win again on grass,” he confessed after becoming, at 36, the oldest grass-court winner in Challenger history.
"There were times I didn’t know if I’d be playing again. I’ve been fortunate to be back again at a high level. I don’t want to downplay this win, for me it’s still great to win any tournament and this level are not easy competitions to win. But I still strive for more. I believe I have more in me. Hopefully I can achieve that in the next few weeks."
Rodionov had blitzed his way to the final without once dropping his serve but Murray quickly reminded him he was up against a different class of opposition.
The Scot broke for 4-2 in the first and closed out the set with his sixth ace. He broke again early in the second and was three games from victory when a thunderstorm hit.
Murray held his nerve, occupying his kids whilst catching glimpses of Novak Djokovic’s record-breaking win in Paris, before returning to finish the job.
Katie Swan let slip a golden chance to make it a Brit double when losing the women’s final from a set and a break up to allow Katie Boulter rather than her to replace Emma Raducanu as British No.1.
Wickmayer, back in tennis after giving birth to her first child, dug deep to level at one set all then took the match with a commanding second set tie break.