Andy Murray’s dream comeback from potentially career-ending hip surgery ended with a fairytale triumph with playing partner Feliciano Lopez in the doubles at Queen’s.

Briton Murray and Spain’s Lopez beat Briton Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram 7-6 (8-6) 5-7 10-5.

The Scot, 32, thought he might not play again before having his hip resurfaced in January but is now “pain free”.

Lopez, 37, added the doubles to the singles title he won earlier on Sunday.

Left-hander Lopez, who beat France’s Gilles Simon in three sets, is the first man since Australia’s Mark Philippoussis in 1997 to win both the singles and doubles titles at Queen’s in the same year.

• Lopez beats Simon to win Queen’s singles title
• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Murray, who had not won a doubles title since 2011, described ending his comeback tournament with victory as “brilliant”.

“I’ve enjoyed it, I felt very relaxed at the beginning of the week, then I started getting more nervous as the week continued and my competitive instincts were kicking in,” he said.

To loud cheers from the crowd, he added: “My hip felt great, there was no pain.”

Lopez said he never expected to win both the singles and doubles titles.

“It happens maybe once in a lifetime, with how difficult it is to win the singles, I cannot believe I won both,” he told BBC Sport.

Tears to grins in five months – Murray’s dream return

Former world number one Murray could not have dreamed for a smoother return to the sport which he thought he might have to quit this summer because of chronic hip pain that had not been cured by previous surgery.

Five months ago he broke into tears during a news conference at the Australian Open when he laid bare the extent of his fears about an injury that had left him unable to put on his shoes and socks without pain.

That was a stark contrast to the beaming grin stretched across his face at Queen’s, when he and Lopez sealed victory with their second of five match points.

When a return from Salisbury sailed wide, Murray leapt into the air in celebration as almost all of the centre court crowd also rose to their feet to mark a victory many probably thought they would not see.

During his return to action this week, Murray has shown a sharpness which has surprised many.

The three-time Grand Slam champion’s shot-making, less surprisingly, has not diminished and neither has the fierce will-to-win.

This was exemplified in the first set tie-break, which came after Murray and Lopez had saved a set point at 5-4 down.

A brutal first serve down the middle from the Scot was hit long and followed up by a sharp, trademark cry of “Let’s go!” for a set point of their own.

That was claimed when Ram guided a volley wide – putting Murray and Lopez, who had not played together before this week, halfway to an extraordinary triumph.

Lopez spends eight hours on court in 24 hours

Murray and Lopez’s success was made even more extraordinary by the exertions of the 37-year-old Spaniard.

After needing two hours and 49 minutes to see off Simon in the singles final, it meant he had spent almost eight hours on court over the previous 24 hours by the time they faced Salisbury and Ram.

Lopez put in a five-hour stint on Saturday when his singles semi-final win over Canadian teenager Felix Auger-Aliassime, which he only started shortly after 16:00 BST, was followed by two doubles matches with Murray.

The pair only needed 13 minutes to wrap up victory over Dan Evans and Ken Skupski in the conclusion of their quarter-final and then beat third seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, with the Spaniard finally finishing for the day at nearly 21:00 BST.

The left-hander returned to court with Murray little over an hour after lifting the singles trophy.

During two changeovers in the first set, Lopez stayed on his feet as he seemingly looked to manage a back problem.

Yet it was the Spaniard who somehow mustered the energy to turn the final-set champions tie-break in their favour.

He whacked a clean forehand winner for 5-4, followed that up with an ace, another forehand winner and a net volley.

Another forehand winner left Murray serving for the match.

The first of their five match points was saved when Ram finally beat Murray with a forehand winner down the line.

But a wide forehand from Salisbury handed them a victory that meant Lopez became the first player since Australian Mark Philippoussis in 1997 to win the singles and doubles titles here.

“I’m so happy to have this man playing with me,” Lopez said. “We’re so happy that you’re back on a tennis court.”

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

Lopez frequently stayed on his feet at the change of ends: wary of the pounding his 37-year-old legs had taken over 15 hours on court.

Having won a third-set tie-break to beat Gilles Simon in the singles final, he hit five winners in a row to turn the deciding 10-point tie-break out of Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram’s reach.

Murray has looked in terrific shape all week, and his desire to win as strong as ever: he says he got more nervous as the week progressed, and the prize loomed larger.

He now heads to Eastbourne in search of more success with a different partner – the Brazilian Marcelo Melo.

Feliciano Lopez became the first wildcard to win the Queen’s singles title since Pete Sampras in 1999 by beating fellow veteran Gilles Simon.

Lopez, who won the 2017 title, triumphed 6-2 6-7 (4-7) 7-6 (7-2).

The Spaniard had spent almost five hours on court on Saturday and France’s Simon, 34, had come through some long matches – and this was another slog.

Lopez, 37, returns to the court later in the doubles final alongside Andy Murray at the Fever-Tree Championships.

The Scot is playing his first tournament since having hip surgery in January and the pair will meet Joe Salisbury, another Briton, and American Rajeev Ram for the trophy.

• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

For Lopez, lifting the Queen’s trophy again has capped an extraordinary week at the west London club.

Now ranked 113th in the world, he had won just three singles matches this year going into the tournament.

The victory – over former world number six Simon, who had also spent more than 10 hours on court in the singles going into the final – was Lopez’s eighth at Queen’s this week across the singles and doubles.

A ninth, alongside Murray, will make him the first man to lift both trophies at Queen’s since Australian Mark Philippoussis in 1997.

“I don’t know how I did that,” the Spaniard said.

“I thought the best moment of my career was when I held this trophy in 2017 but it’s not. It’s right now.”

‘Now my girlfriend knows I’m a decent tennis player!’

The two players, with a combined age of 71, initially showed little movement and variation as they became locked in a baseline battle.

Lopez’s strong service game proved the difference in the first set and he broke in the first and fifth games – and held off three break points in the sixth – on his way to the opener.

Simon broke at the first attempt in the second set for a 2-0 lead, only to see that wiped out instantly by the Spanish left-hander.

The pair easily traded holds on the way to the tie-break, although Lopez did plant a straightforward volley into the net for 30-30 at 5-5, which would have given him a glimpse of an opportunity.

Lopez recovered to lead 3-1 and 4-2 in the breaker but then missed another volley for a 5-3 lead as Simon battled back to win and force a decider.

That was also an attritional set as Simon, bidding to become the first Frenchman to win the singles at Queen’s, kept finding passing winners when Lopez came forward.

Lopez eventually forced his first match point at 6-5 after a lengthy deuce, sending a tired forehand into the net.

In the deciding tie-break, Lopez moved 5-2 ahead with a stunning volley which left him screaming with delight, then pulled out a service ace out wide for four more match points.

He took the first when, after charging forward to the net again, Simon could only tap a forehand into the net.

Lopez ripped off his bandana after clinching victory, looking over to the stands where his fiancee Sandra Gago – who he is set to marry in September – was crying in celebration.

“When we met, things weren’t going too well and I kept losing,” Lopez, whose previous tour win was the 2017 Queen’s title, told the crowd. “Now she can see I’m a decent tennis player!

“I’m so happy for you; we can share this together.”

Roger Federer got his Wimbledon preparations off to the perfect start by claiming a record-extending 10th title at the Halle grass-court event.

The Swiss 20-time Grand Slam champion beat Belgium’s David Goffin 7-6 (7-2) 6-1 to win a 102nd career title.

Federer, chasing a ninth Wimbledon title next month, was made to work in earlier rounds but dominated the final.

“It’s unbelievable. I never thought when I first played here that I would win 10 titles,” the 37-year-old said.

It is the first time Federer has reached double figures at one tournament, with eight at the Dubai Open and Wimbledon and nine at his home event in Basel.

Federer had been taken to three sets by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the last 16 and Roberto Bautista Agut in the quarter-finals.

But after a tight first set, he was handed a break in the first game of the second set when Goffin double-faulted on break point.

• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Andy Murray says he “didn’t expect to be playing in the Queen’s final” on his return to tennis, five months after career-saving hip surgery.

Murray, 32, and Feliciano Lopez, 37, beat John Peers and Henri Kontinen 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 10-7 in the semi-final.

The pair have dropped one set and beaten top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastian Cabal en route to the final.

“I didn’t have high expectations at all,” said two-time Wimbledon singles champion Murray.

“I had a tough, tough draw, playing the top seeds in the first match and I’ve never played with Feli [Lopez] before.

“I think things have probably got a little bit better maybe with each match as well.”

In Sunday’s final, Murray and Lopez will play Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram after they claimed a shock victory over fourth-seeded US brothers Bob and Mike Bryan.

Spaniard Lopez will take on 34-year-old Frenchman Gilles Simon in the singles final at 13:30 BST before returning to the court for the doubles final.

• Andy Murray & Feliciano Lopez into Queen’s doubles final
• Relive Murray and Lopez’s semi-finals win
• Lopez to play Simon in Queen’s final

‘Zero pain in my hip’

Before his surgery in January, Murray limped and grimaced between points and his suffering culminated in a tearful news conference at the Australian Open, when he revealed retirement plans.

But the Scot, who has won the singles title at Queen’s five times, has looked sharp on court all week and his body language reveals how much he is enjoying playing again.

Murray said there was “no pain at all” in his hip after the semi-final, although he admitted he was feeling the effects of the three matches he has played.

“My back’s a bit stiff,” he said. “You’re sort of getting down low for a lot of balls and you’re always kind of in a crouched-over position in doubles a bit more than when you’re in singles.

“I’m not used to that as much, so my back has been a little bit stiff after some of the matches. My arm is a little bit tired from serving and stuff. But my hip’s been brilliant so far. I don’t feel anything at all. It’s amazing.”

‘I wanted to play every tournament with one partner’

Murray won his last doubles title with brother Jamie in Tokyo eight years ago, but has not announced any plans to team back up with his sibling.

Instead, the former world number one will play with Brazilian Marcelo Melo at Eastbourne next week before partnering France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the men’s doubles at Wimbledon.

“I ideally would have liked to have played with the same partner every single week,” Murray said.

“I have got three brilliant partners, so hopefully we can do OK. But I have to do a few things differently each week.”

The Scot’s mixed doubles partner is yet to be decided for his return to Grand Slam tennis at the All England Club in July.

After revealing in his BBC Sport column that French Open champion Ashleigh Barty had turned him down, many players took to Twitter to offer to play with Murray.

But the three-time Grand Slam winner said he had not spoken to anyone personally about it yet.

“My coach had a few messages from players,” he explained. “A few people have said stuff online, but I haven’t actually spoken to anyone since.”

• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

Andy Murray reached the doubles final at Queen’s as the Briton’s dream return to tennis continued five months after career-saving hip surgery.

He and Feliciano Lopez beat third seeds John Peers and Henri Kontinen 7-5 6-7 (5-7) 10-7.

It was a third match of the day for Lopez, who reached the singles final before heading straight out to resume their suspended doubles quarter-final.

They play Britain’s Joe Salisbury and American Rajeev Ram in Sunday’s final.

After completing a 6-4 7-6 (7-3) win over Britons Dan Evans and Ken Skupski in a quarter-final that had been suspended on Friday for bad light, they stayed on court to play the semi-final.

“I’m very happy to be in the final,” Murray said.

“It was a good match. It was an unbelievable effort from Feliciano. He’s played a lot of tennis in the last couple of games. He’s not young any more!”

Lopez, 37, takes on 34-year-old Gilles Simon in Sunday’s singles final (13:30 BST) before returning to the court for the doubles final with Murray.

• Lopez to play Simon on Queen’s final
• Live scores, schedule and results
• Alerts: Get tennis news sent to your phone

More Murray magic

In his three matches at his first tournament since having his hip resurfaced in January, Murray has looked sharp.

Gone is the limp and the grimace that accompanied his obvious discomfort at times pre-surgery.

Instead a relaxed and smiling Murray has returned – and while it is clear he is enjoying simply being back on court, it is also clear that his competitive desire is as great as ever.

A fist pump and roar greeted the ace that sealed the opening set, while in the sixth game of the second set, where he and Lopez were 15-40 down at 1-4, he unleashed a fantastic forehand return that was key to them eventually holding serve.

They broke in the following game and took it into a tie-break, where they were just edged out.

With questions over when fatigue might creep in for Lopez – and when a lack of match fitness might begin to show for Murray against two doubles specialists – they drew enough strength to push themselves over the finishing line, sealing victory when the Spaniard’s serve was not returned.

Murray, who has won the singles title at Queen’s five times, will now have the chance to add the doubles crown – five months after a tearful news conference in Australia where he was revealing his retirement plans.

Murray, whose last doubles title was eight years ago in Tokyo alongside brother Jamie, is playing at Eastbourne next week, where he is swapping Lopez for Brazilian partner Marcelo Melo.

The former world number one and three-time Grand Slam singles champion is then scheduled to partner France’s Pierre-Hugues Herbert in the doubles at Wimbledon next month.

But the Scot’s mixed doubles partner is yet to be decided for his return to Grand Slam tennis at the All England Club.

Salisbury & Ram upset Bryan brothers

While all the attention has been on Murray’s return, compatriot Joe Salisbury has flown under the radar and into the final.

The 27-year-old and American Ram claimed a shock 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (10-8) victory against fourth-seeded American brothers Bob and Mike Bryan in their semi-final.

Bob Bryan, who has won 16 men’s doubles Grand Slams, returned to tennis at the beginning of this year after having the same hip surgery as Murray in 2018.

Salisbury has three doubles titles to his name, winning the most recent one with Ram in Dubai in March.

The pair also reached the Brisbane International final in January.

They are doubles specialists but since Murray and Lopez knocked out top seeds Robert Farah and Juan Sebastien Cabal in the opening round here, that is unlikely to bother the Scot and the Spaniard.

Analysis

BBC tennis correspondent Russell Fuller

There were understandable signs of fatigue in Lopez after his three-set singles semi-final win, but with Murray alongside – bursting with energy and intent – he was able to rouse himself to win a third match of the day.

It was a chilly evening and Lopez had eaten very little for several hours. The pair lost their way at times in the second set, but were not to be denied in the match tie-break.

What a week this has been for Murray, who on Sunday has the chance to win his first doubles title for eight years.

And what a week for Lopez: a 37-year-old wildcard, with a chance on Sunday to do the double.