London (CNN) -- When Andy Murray won the Brisbane International, a warmup event for January's Australian Open, few were surprised. 

But what followed was largely out of character for a man who is perceived as one of the more dour characters in the world of sport. 

After winning the final, Murray turned towards the television cameras and showed a side of himself that had so rarely been seen. 

"I'd like to dedicate this victory to one of my best friends," the British tennis star told the crowd. "He's back home watching and you're going to get through." 

Thousands of miles away in London, Murray's former roommate Ross Hutchins sat facing the prospect of six months of grueling chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma -- a cancer of the lymph node immune system. 

Friends since their early years and former doubles partners, the two were inseparable on and off the court, with both taking time to tease one another about their receding hairlines. 

But not even Hutchins, who has seen a side of Murray that few others have caught a glimpse of, expected such a gesture. 

"I didn't expect the speech, that's for sure," the Englishman told CNN's Open Court. 

"I just expected him to, well I was hoping he would win the title ... we had been very close that week as we always are. 

"So I was watching the speech and was thinking how pleased I was he had won, and then he came and dedicated his trophy, which meant the world to me. 
Why?
Thousands of miles away in London, Murray's former roommate Ross Hutchins sat facing the prospect of six months of grueling chemotherapy after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma