AEGON Championships: Andy Murray wins his third Queen’s title

Andy Murray clinched a treble at the AEGON Championships yesterday, with a three set victory over Croatian Marin Cilic in the final at Queen’s.

Cilic – the defending champion – won the first set after the players finally took to the court following a lengthy rain delay, but world No 2 Murray hit back to complete a 5-7 7-5 6-3 win.

The Scottish players third successful Queen’s campaign in five years, following previous victories in west London in 2009 and 2011, took his career tally of ATP Tour titles to 27 and ended his wait for a first tournament win since the Miami Masters in March.

Murray, who now holds a 9-1 record against Cilic, had entered the tournament with little match-practice having sat out the French Open due to a back injury.

He also suffered a scare as he twisted awkwardly and hit the floor when leading 4-3 in the first set, but there appeared to be no lasting damage.

Murray will now turn his attention to a week of practice, before resuming his quest for a first Wimbledon title.

“I worked very hard in the time that I had off to try and get myself back in the best shape possible,” said Murray.

“My team helped me a lot, they were patient with me and it’s why I was able to come out and play so tough in the last couple of matches.”

Looking ahead to Wimbledon, Murray said: “The most important thing next week is just to make sure I keep improving the strength of my back, make sure there’s no setbacks and just keep working hard on the rehab.

“Then, when Wimbledon comes round, it’s all about how you play. It’s very easy to say someone is in good form when they’re not.

“A week is a long time in sport, anything can happen. You can lose a bit of confidence; you can gain confidence. You can pick up a niggle; you can feel 110%.

“But I’m in a good place and I’ll just keep working hard the next week.”