Ross Hutchins ready for biggest battle of his life But there has also been a reassuring vote of confidence from his regular doubles partner, Colin Fleming. "Colin said: "I'll be there when you come back, and we're going to win slams together," " Hutchins revealed. "He said, "I'm not going anywhere, I'll be waiting," and that meant a lot to me. He won a match last week, and I'm hoping that if he can keep his ranking high then I can piggyback on him when I come back. It was the back pain that originally prompted Hutchins to seek medical advice. He has been suffering with it, on and off, since April last year. In China in the autumn it was so bad that he was sleeping for no more than three hours, and spending the rest of the night rolling around in agony on the floor. But he still thought it was a tennis player's injury, the kind of problem with which you have to grin and bear if you want to make it on the tour. Then he went for treatment at La Manga, the site of the Lawn Tennis Association's pre-Christmas training camp. "The guy said, "This isn't right, you've seen six physios and they can't find what's wrong with you, go home and see a kidney doctor." " The kidney specialist performed a scan that revealed pneumonia in Hutchins" left lower lung. Then the chest specialist noted enlarged lymph glands. She said they might be enlarged because you are fighting infection, or it could be that you have lymphoma. As soon as she said that, I could tell it was more likely to be cancer. I'm quite experienced at reading doctors and physios, and it was in her voice. This was Dec 17. Obviously it was a bit of a shock at the time. I knew I was in danger of being quite seriously ill; I might be out for a long time, and would have to be away from the tour. Christmas was coming up, and I was wondering what the next couple of weeks would bring. It was confirmed on the 27th, and that was a tough 20 minutes. But after that I settled down: I knew I had to have the treatment: we were just talking about how to get rid of the cancer. Everyone says take it easy, but I am a positive person and I will be looking to make it back onto the court as soon as possible. I saw that Alisa Kleybanova [a Russian player who developed the same condition] was back in 10 months. I'd like to play again before the end of the year, maybe be ready for Australia next year. Once Hutchins had talked the whole process over with his family, the next person he told was Murray. But he was not expecting to turn on the television and find Murray's voice cracking as he dedicated his Brisbane International victory to "one of my best friends." That emotional message was followed by a scribble on a TV camera lens, as Murray wrote "For you, Percher." "Funnily enough I was watching and thinking he's getting good at these presentations because he's done so many of then," Hutchins said. Then it came out and I was very moved. It did bring a tear to my eye. He wrote a note on the camera and it's a personal name he calls me and no one else knows. "When I originally told Andy, I said, "I don't want to ruin your preparations, but before it gets out I want you with me on this one." And he's been in touch every day asking me how I'm feeling. He wants every bit of news, about whether it's spread, about whether it hurt to have my bone marrow extracted. He's researched everything so well, probably more than my doctor. It's like with his fantasy leagues: when he gets into something he really researches it. It makes me feel good that he won Brisbane, because this news has been upsetting for him and for everyone. I'm glad he's able to switch off and get back into tennis mode. I wouldn't have mentioned it if I didn't think he can handle it, but he's been unbelievably supportive and with me the whole way. The pair's friendship dates back to the late 1990s. As a 12 year-old, Murray was usually too strong for Hutchins in the junior tournaments they played in, even though he was two years younger. Then they graduated to playing as a doubles partnership, and once Murray had developed into a serious contender, they would travel to Miami together for the pre-season training block. "At that stage there weren't that many Brits at the top of the game," Hutchins said. Andy's brother Jamie was around a bit, but none of these guys who you see now, people like Jonny Marray or Colin or Ken Skupski were on tour. It was just Andy and I, and we became very close. So is it even possible that Murray has been inspired by this grim news, and is privately determined to raise Hutchins" spirits by dedicating the Australian Open title to him? In Brisbane, I never once thought he was playing for me. That didn't enter my mind until his speech. I suppose if the situation was flipped it would inspire me, and if I can give him one per cent more that's great. The margins are so small at the top. But I don't know what's going on in his mind. If he can win the title in Australia, then it will be more likely that he can Wimbledon too. That would mean the world to me. And if it happened just as I was going into remission, once my six months of chemotherapy are up, that would be great for everyone.