“You always have that experience and achievement with you” – Kyle Edmund reflects on Davis Cup victory a decade on
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A decade has passed since Great Britain produced one of its most memorable sporting triumphs – lifting the Davis Cup trophy to end a 79-year drought.
Competing in a high-stakes final on the red clay in Ghent, a British team consisting of Andy Murray, Kyle Edmund, Jamie Murray, James Ward and Dan Evans produced an inspiring performance to beat host nation Belgium 3-1 and rewrite history.
We sat down with Edmund at the National Tennis Centre in Roehampton to chat all that historic run to the Davis Cup trophy, how the experience shaped him as a player and the impact his teammates had on Great Britain’s success.
“Looking back at the time, it was a great feeling knowing that you won such a big event,” said Edmund. “It’s the biggest team event that we play for our country - it's like our version of the World Cup.
“I was 20 at the time and now that I've retired, I can look back and it means a lot more to have that victory as a team and as a country. The journey getting there especially - when Leon started as captain, we were way down in the Euro/Africa Zone Group II division, so we worked our way up. To get there (lifting the trophy) it was a sense of satisfaction that we’d completed the task.”
Heading into that nail-biting final against Belgium, Great Britain Team Captain Leon Smith made a bold and courageous call – handing Edmund his Davis Cup debut in one of the biggest ties in the country’s history. In doing so, he became the first player to make his debut in a Davis Cup final since 2003.
Fuelled by the adrenaline of the occasion, the then world No.100 surged to a two-set lead over former world No.7 David Goffin and stood on the brink of producing one of the most impressive debut victories the tournament had ever seen. However, a cruel twist soon saw the momentum shift into his opponents favour as Goffin went on to seal the comeback 3-6, 1-6, 6-2, 6-1, 6-0.
A loss like that is devastating for any player, but Edmund refused to let it define him and used the experience as fuel and motivation heading into the rest of his career.
“It (the final) was really intense, especially for me because it was my debut. The loss I had was a great learning experience for me and my personal career. I learned a lot in how I dealt with it and it set me up well for some wins and tournaments going forward.
“I knew it was a big occasion and a lot was on the line. The way I started the match and came out and played was all really positive and I went two sets of love up. In that moment, I’d love to have changed to just staying calm in the moment, not thinking too far ahead but it's hard to just completely forget the situation.
“Maybe if I had more experience I would have dealt with the situation better later on in the match but nothing else could have given me that experience. Actually, just living it and being in the moment gave me a lot to take away from it and fortunately the other teammates got the other matches, so we've got to win.”
After Edmund narrowly fell short in the opening match of the tie, it was over to Grand Slam champion Murray to spark the British comeback.
The then 28-year-old clinched victories in both singles and doubles, alongside his brother Jamie, to put his country back in the driving seat, before securing a clean sweep and the long-awaited triumph with a 6-3, 7-5, 6-3 win over Goffin to etch Great Britain’s name onto the silverware. He also became the first player to win three live rubbers in the final since Pete Sampras in 1995.
For many nations, having a player of Murray’s pedigree in their team was invaluable, and Edmund highlighted the former world No.1’s immense impact on their 2015 triumph.
“In those events, you always need someone who feels like the leader on court and your number one player, and he (Murray) was the standout in that sense,” Edmund added. “It was best of five (set matches) back then, so it was more of a commitment in terms of that calendar compared to now, but he was committed - he wanted to play, wanted to win, and he was always big on the team events.
“Having someone go out on court like that, whether you’re sitting on the side or during the training week - you get a lot of confidence from it. The number twos always had some really good wins backing up Andy, because you get the confidence from him and feel like you can go out there and be a part of that.
“James Ward had some really big wins where on paper, he wasn't expected to win, but when he went on the match court, he did really, really well. It's the same with Evo (Dan Evans) as well.”
Edmund closed the final chapter on his career in August 2025 following a hugely successful career that saw him claim two ATP singles titles, reach a career-high ranking of world No.14, reach the semi-final of the Australian Open and hold the spot at the top of the British rankings for 19 months.
Despite a long list of accolades he achieved during his 13-year-long professional, the Davis Cup feat still holds a special place in his heart – but where does it rank amongst his career achievements?
“For sure it’s up there,” Edmund added when asked where the Davis Cup victory ranks amongst his best career moments. “It’s been around for long, long time, there's obviously a few more modern events, but I think everyone feels like Davis Cup is the team event where it means the most.
“I’m very fortunate that I was involved when I was and had the teammates to win it. We wouldn't have won it if we didn't have the strong teammates that we did.
“Now that I've retired and look back, it's nice to know you always have that experience and achievement sitting with you.”
