IT WAS Andy Murray's first Fathers Day since the birth of daughter Sophia in February.
SPORT DADDY NEWS TENNISBut the Scot made sure he celebrated in style at Queen's Club.
In a performance that laid down an emphatic marker to every opponent at Wimbledon, now just a week away, Murray fought back from a set and 3-0 down today to triumph 6-7, 6-4, 6-3 against Milos Raonic to make history by becoming the first man to win the Queen's title five times. It was a pulsating, gripping final which Murray appeared to be virtually out of after 72 gruelling minutes in Kensington, as the big hitting Raonic battered him around the court. But the world no2 then staged an astonishing comeback to claim his first title since reuniting with coach Ivan Lendl last week.
It was billed as the battle of the coaches, with Lendl's old rival John McEnroe having signed up as Raonic's mentor. But it was the big Czech whose man came out on top. And true to form, the publicity-shy Lendl slipped away as Murray took match point.
Murray, who has now reached the final in four successive tournaments in what is one of the best runs of his career, admitted: "It wasn't looking good at 0-3 down. I was actually playing pretty well, but he was serving great. I had no chances at all.
"But then along came a few good returns and changed the match completely. I capitalized on pretty much all of the chances I had from there on in. I played some really good stuff. Even in the first set I was playing good.
"It feels good to make history. It's a tournament that means a lot to me. It is not easy to win."
McEnroe, who met Lendl 36 times at the peak of their careers, ten times in Grand Slam finals, wore white on the sidelines, while Lendl was still and stern under a baseball cap.
Today though it was the two men on the court who grabbed all the attention. Canadian Raonic, ranked ninth in the world, started like a rocket, and Murray simply could not get anywhere near his serve for the first set.
Some second serves were scorching down at 120 miles an hour, and the Scot was growing increasingly more and more frustrated.
The first set went to a tie break, but Raonic took it as Murray fought back to 5-5 from 2-5, but then came too eagerly to the net and was easily passed.
Murray seemed to find the court slippery as he slumped to 0-3 down at the start of the second, and even received a warning for a time violation - but the Scot has shown plenty of times that he is a fighter.
One of the qualities that Lendl was credited with instilling in him when the pair won two Grand Slams and an Olympic Gold medal together as a team, was mental toughness on the court. They have only been working together for a week, but suddenly that toughness began to kick in.
At 1-3 down, Murray successfully challenged a Raonic volley that was indeed out, won another challenge on game point, fired in a succession of glorious returns - and suddenly, after 55 successive service games unbroken during the tournament, the Canadian was overturned.
Murray said: "I thought his volley was out. Normally when the ball touches the line it stops - and it didn't. It was pretty much right in front of my eyes. I saw it wide, but it was obviously pretty close."
Three more games in a row were won, and Murray, from the depths of despair, had won the set. From then on, he never really looked back.
The doubt had entered Raonic's game despite the presence of McEnroe, and by now Murray had a last found the measure of that gigantic serve.
He was manouevring the 25 year old around the court. The tide had turned.
Murray's approaches to the net were more measured, his returns laser accurate as he cruised through the third set.
Raonic said: "That was definitely one that got away. Normally I'm pretty confident a set up and a break. But there were two very close challenges there that maybe made a difference. He stepped up after that."
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