CHOKED-UP Andy Murray was given a special Father’s Day present when his four kids turned up by surprise for his Nottingham Open win.
The Scot warmed up for Wimbledon by lifting silverware for a second successive weekend as he enjoyed his longest winning streak for more than six years.
Andy Murray won the Nottingham Open
His wife Kim and his four kids were in the stands to his surprise
Two weeks before the start of the Championships in south-west London, the 36-year-old tennis superstar overcame young Frenchman Arthur Cazaux 6-4 6-4 for his TENTH straight win in a row.
But as he started talking in the trophy celebration about his family and his desire to race back to London in time for their bedtime, he was alerted to their presence in the crowd at the Nottingham Tennis Centre.
Wife Kim and children Sophia, Edie, Teddy and Lola were all in the stands.
It was the first time ALL of the Murray household had seen him lift a trophy live and as he grew more emotional, he had to stop looking at them to avoid bursting into tears and breaking down.
The former world No.1 said: “Oh my God – ah, I didn’t know they were here. I had no idea they were coming.
“They came last week for the final at Surbiton and when they turned up, it started raining. So they had to go home for the kids’ bedtime and missed the end of the match.
“It’s great they have been able to come today. They are all there. Thanks guys.
“My family have been unbelievably supportive with me continuing my career.
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“They could have easily told me to stop. So, I really appreciate they are still supporting me and to try to keep me going.”
This tournament triumph follows his success at Surbiton only last Sunday – though both events are on the ATP Challenger Tour, the rung below the main professional level.
Given all he has achieved in the sport, it would be fair for some to question his sanity for dropping down a division, playing such low-calibre opposition and fighting for prize money no more than £17,000.
Nonetheless, his displays this month bode well for his prospects of a decent run on the green lawns of SW19, where he has twice been a champion.
And more importantly, should he hang around all week at Queen’s – he faces Australian Alex de Minaur in the first round on Tuesday – he may well fulfil his objective of securing a top-32 seeding spot for Wimbledon.
The last time he experienced such a sustained period of success was in late 2016 and early 2017.
Back then, he was indisputably the best in the world and a 30-match winning streak was ended by Novak Djokovic in the Doha final in January 2017.
A lot has happened since then – the legs have had a lot more miles in them and the hip required career-saving surgery four years ago – but the hunger and desire for competition remain as fierce as ever.
Typically the first set became more of a slog than it should have been, given that he was 5-1 up, but it was eventually wrapped up inside the hour thanks to a 100mph ace.
Montpellier-born Cazaux, 20, was no rollover and the world No.181 clearly has talent, particularly with his serve.
But Murray’s guile and prowess on his favourite surface edged him to a 47th career title in under two hours.
Murray added: “It was a really good week, I enjoyed my time here, the courts played brilliantly.
“I played really well and got better as the week went on. This was a physical match , there were some long rallies. I had to get through and on to Queen’s we go.
“I’m obviously pumped, looking forward to a day’s rest.
Qualifier Cazaux said: “It was a big tournament for me, a long one, but it is also my first pro one on grass. Big congrats to Andy, you were better than us this week. I will try to take revenge in Wimbledon qualifying.”
