Antwerp (Belgium), Oct 21 (IANS) Former World No.1 Andy Murray, who claimed his first singles title at the European Open since undergoing hip surgery in January, described it as "one of the biggest" wins of his career.

Murray on Sunday defeated Switzerland's Stan Wawrinka 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 and immediately after that burst into tears.

"It means a lot," BBC Sport quoted Murray as saying. "The last few years have been extremely difficult. "I didn't expect to be in this position at all. I'm happy, very happy."

The 2019 Australian Open appeared to be his last as he had revealed his retirement plans due to a troublesome hip problem.

However, he underwent hip resurfacing surgery following the grand slam on January 28.

On Sunday, the three-time Grand Slam champion needed two hours and 27 minutes to achieve what seemed to be the impossible, especially after his hard-fought wins over Marius Copil of Romania and France's Ugo Humbert in the quarterfinals and semifinals.

Last week, the Brit had admitted that when he lost in the third round of an ATP Challenger Tour event held in Mallorca during the US Open, he was a bit concerned with both his tennis and his physical conditioning.

This is the first singles title for Murray, ranked No. 243 in the world, since he defeated Spain's Fernando Verdasco to win the Dubai Championships in 2017.

--IANS aak/in