World number three Murray defeated promising Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets in the final to retain his title, and gave an emotional tribute to Hutchins as he received the trophy.

A tearful Murray said: "I'd like to dedicate this victory to one of my best friends back home.  

"You're going to be okay; you're going to get through."

Hutchins announced that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer, on micro-blogging site Twitter.

The 27-year-old tweeted "Happy New Year to all! Unfortunately I will be away from tennis for a while as I was recently diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma.."[sic]

He added: "I am doing well, very positive with excellent medical support, friends and family around me. Looking forward to being back on the court soon!"

Andy Murray has dedicated his Brisbane Open title to friend and team-mate Ross Hutchins, who has been diagnosed with cancer

Hutchins is ranked 28th in the world for doubles and has represented Great Britain on four occasions in the Davis Cup, following in the footsteps of his father Paul, who captained GB to the final of the competition in 1978, where they were defeated by a United States side starring John McEnroe.

He also represented Team GB in the men's doubles at London 2012 alongside partner Colin Fleming.

Murray and Hutchins have been close friends from an early age, and have competed together in various double's events, including the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in 2010.

London 2012 gold medallist Murray is seeded third for the Australian Open, which commences next week, after tasting defeat in the final in 2010 and 2011, with world number one and current holder Novak Djokovic seeded first and four-time champion Roger Federer seeded second.

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